


Perseverance Is Better Than Defeat

by Lovecakebacon



Category: Undertale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Horrortale (Undertale), Be gentle, But not slow either, Cinnamon Roll Papyrus (Undertale), Delusion??, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Ghost??, Healing, I Don't Even Know, I’m still new to the fandom, Just happens naturally, M/M, Medium Burn, Multi, Other than female, PTSD, Panic Attacks, Podfic, Reader Is Not Chara, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader has a Kid, Reader has a nice voice, Reader has no body description, Reader knows ASL, SO MUCH FLUFF, San is actually somewhat likeable, Silas is Deaf, Smut, Swear jar, Sweet Sans, Undertale Monsters on the Surface, Visions??, Well see how this goes, a bit of angst here and there, maybe?? - Freeform, mentions of cannibalism, not fast, reader has a life, soulmates??
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:07:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22797556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lovecakebacon/pseuds/Lovecakebacon
Summary: Monsters have been roaming the Surface for about two years since their emergence from the underground, so seeing them walk the streets has become second nature now. Not that you notice the difference anyways since your attention was drawn elsewhere.Anyways, you’re currently a single mother of a beautiful two year old, Silas Owen Wolf, named lovely by his late father. You work hard to provide a decent life for Silas, but you’re growing tired. Tired of living each day riddled with worry. You worried that you won’t be able to keep the lights on, have too little to eat, or have no running water each month. You make it by every time, but you wonder for how much longer? You don’t know, but you know you can endure it. If not for you then for Silas.So when life hands you two fucked up skeletons, you do what you do best.Persevere.
Relationships: Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader, Sans (Undertale)/Reader
Comments: 49
Kudos: 184





	1. “As Long As The Day Lasts, Let's Give It All We Got.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is a chill fic I started, but this idea was burned into my head so here we are. 
> 
> Join my discord in the meantime. [Here](https://discord.gg/QdG4DQQ)
> 
> List of the sources I used this chapter:  
> [Here](https://pebblemag.com/magazine/eating-drinking/no-waste-raspberry-and-apricot-ice-cream-cake)  
> [Here](https://www.seedsavers.org/donate)  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Click the link below, it a link to the audio to chapter 1:
> 
> [Perseverance is Better than Defeat](https://youtu.be/GRIF4d4UqSI)
> 
>   
> I would like to take this moment to thank, ReadWithDetermination for creating this audio for me. It came out really well and it was interesting to see them take a story I wrote and turn it into something amazing. They’re a main source of inspiration for me, and has really push me forward to better myself and my writing. I love reading and listening to their audios as they are very well made, and you can truly tell that they care about their work. They’re everything I strive to be, so please go check them out and show them some support. It would mean the world to me! Thank you guys so much and Remember To Alway Persevere!
> 
> READWITHDETERMINATION Links:
> 
> AO3: <https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReadWithDetermination>  
> TUMBLR: <https://readwithdetermination.tumblr.com/>  
> YOUTUBE: <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaQd1Pjqd6plN9Z8EjmvVvg/featured>  
> 

" _Matt!" You giggle, pinching the side of his cheek affectionately, allowing him to nestle further into your stomach. "Give up, it's too soon. You won't feel them right now."_

_"Not with that attitude, I won't." He countered as a deep chuckle escapes from him as you both enjoy the quiet moment the two of you shared._

_If someone told you that there would be a day where you were happily engaged with a loving fiancé, bringing in the life you two made. You would have called them crazy. If they told you that you would follow him halfway across the country to pursue his dream of becoming a published writer, you would have slapped them straight across the face to bring them back to reality. But here you are._

_'Here I am.'_

_Never in your wildest dreams had you imagined that you could love a person so much, and a child that has yet to even be born. You can only count your blessings and pray that the fluttering in your chest will never subside. Before you could stop it, the corner of your eyes started to tear up. You were quick to blink them away, hoping, you know who doesn't notice._

_"Aww, What's the matter, Babe?" But of course, he notices. He always does. That's what you love about him. He could always tell exactly when your mood changed._

_"Oh, it's nothing. It's nothing, I'm just so happy…I love you." He smiled at that, quickly gathering you up in his arms and continued to spin you about the room. The space between you two was now rumbling with laughter, brimming with so much warmth and joy that it was so wonderfully overwhelming. You hope this kind of happiness lasts forever._

* * *

You wake to the familiar sound of crying, and you don't stop the smile that forms on your face. "I hear you, I hear you." You chant to yourself, your tone full of mirth as you make your way down the narrow hallway. You stop to make a swift bathroom break, waking yourself with a splash of water to your face and a speedy brushing of your teeth. When you finish with that, you follow the crying back to the 'nursery,' and you use the term nursery loosely to describe the barely larger than a broom closet of a shack you shined up for Silas.

You were proud that you were allowed to repaint the crappy pale blue room and fill it with everything he would need: dresser filled with his clothes, small shelves stacked with his picture books, and crib littered with his stuff animals. You peek into the room to see Silas hopping frustratedly inside his crib, but once his glossy tear-filled eyes land on you. He settles so he can reach out for you. 

" _Oh, baby_." You signed to him. Silas's bright eyes, the color reminded you so much of your own, followed your hand movements carefully. " _You missed Mama_?"

He just smiled, bouncing more erratically as his tiny hands clumsily sign mommy at you. You chuckled lightly as you grab Silas by the underarms and lift him into your arms. You stumble back into your room, setting Silas on the floor while you get out of your nightgown and into some real clothes. You do a simple bun and a light layer of makeup, and after checking yourself out you nod with approval. Once you're done with it, you turn back to Silas, who was observing you as he swayed side to side. You can tell he's bored, but he's waiting for you anyway.

That makes you beam, swiftly gathering him up to blow raspberries into his warm chestnut colored cheeks. He squeals, grabbing for your face before nuzzling into the side of your neck. You laugh at his antics as you take him to the kitchen and set him inside his high chair. You go around the kitchen, making a simple breakfast of Cheerios, applesauce, cut up grapes, and a sippy cup of orange juice for him. You set the plate in front of him as you start to set up your camera alongside your ingredients, and before you know it, the camera is ready and rolling.

"Welcome back my lovelies to my blog, ' _Never Judge A **Cook** By Its Cover._' It's your host, Sweet-As-A-Peach, and today's zero waste recipe, we'll be making a delicious Raspberry and Apricot Ice Cream Cake. The ingredients used can be picked up at your local Zero waste grocery store, and don't forget to wash and clean your jars and reusable bags. Now let's start on the Apricot Purée, you'll need: 5 apricots, 200ml water, 100g sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice, you'll have to dice the apricots into…" You go on. Explaining the best way to make the purée as you expertly move about the kitchen. 

Silas watches you with a steady gaze as he munches happily on his cut-up grapes. You grin his way as you move on to prepare the almond cookie base, processing them in a food processor. You pulse it a few times until it has a sticky, crumb-like consistency. Then line a small detachable cake tin and press the mixture into the base, making sure it is compact. You set it into the fridge for later.

"Now, for the Raspberry Syrup, it's a similar process to the Apricot purée. The recipe is linked down below, but if you were tuned in last week you would know we already made raspberry syrup. I preserved some of the sauce from last time and stored the purée for later use. We're going to add the purée into our ice cream, and the syrup on top of the cookie base when we get to it." Silas watches you looking engaged despite not understanding a word of what you just said. He was a total angel until he ran out of food to stuff in his little chubby face, and began to fuss. " _What's wrong, Silas, feeling **crummy**?_" You tease talking while you sign, to which he responds with an outraged cry. 

"Oh, hush, you love my puns." He grunts at you, tossing his last of his applesauce onto himself.

" _Awe, Silas. You want Mama to help, Yes_?" You sign only to get frustrated baby sounds. You just laugh softly as you scoop him from his high chair, snatching up a nearby towel to wipe the applesauce party off his hands, face, and well… Everywhere. He squeals a bit, flailing around just to be extra difficult. Not that you mind, though. You sat him on top of the counter as you continued the video like you have many times before.

" _You want to make ice cream, Silas? You know, Ice cream_?" You repeat, grinning when Silas signs 'want' and 'ice cream' to you. You quickly prepared two metal bowls; one with an ice salt water bath and the other with heavy whipping cream, whole milk, sugar and raspberry extract. You let Silas whip wildly into the mixture until he was satisfied, taking a hand mixer and whip in until an ice cream-like consistency is met. " _ **Ice** job, Silas!_" You turn to the camera with a deadpan stare.

"Where would I be without your world-class mixing skills?" You joked, winking at your invisible audience. You imagine the crowd as if hundreds of viewers at home cheering and applauding at your stellar attempt at comedy, and that lights a fire within you. With renowned vigor, you pick up your child, getting the last of your ingredients together, as you clean parts of your station along the way. Once you have the last of the elements for the final product, you turn back to the camera while Silas becomes very invested in his fingers, clenching and unclenching them. 

"Now, you want to mix in the leftover purée from before and set that into the ice cream. Don't get **cold** feet now, just pour it all in there and stir it well before spreading it over our cookie base, and place it to rest in the fridge for at least eight hours." You advise, demonstrating how to store it into the freezer, afterwards pulling out a premade ice cream cake. "Pretty **cool** of me to have prepared one ahead of time, right?" You gently remove the cake from the tin and top it with the purée from earlier and garnish it with some fruit and mint leaves.

"And there you have it, Raspberry and Apricot Ice Cream Cake that’ll knock the socks off of all your guests, and the one piece of waste we have is the lining and the pit of apricots. Don't worry though the pit can be given to anyone of your community gardens. Though if one is not available to you, there's this site down below called ’ _Seed Savers Exchange_ ,’ as they also happen to be the sponsor of today's video. If you don't want to waste the spare seeds from your cooking, but don't have space, time, or energy for your own garden, then ’ _Seed Savers Exchange’_ is the place for you." 

You dive into depth about the sponsorship bouncing a docile Silas in your arms. You take a knife and a fork from the draw, setting the fork next to the small saucer while you carefully cut out a picture-perfect slice and moving it to a dish. You dig out a little bit of the delicate desert out with the fork, Silas eyes zeroing in on the treat already opening his mouth as he grabs your wrist to try and chomp down on the snack. You don't deny him as you plop the treat into his mouth.

He's obviously pleased as he signs, ' _Thank you. More, more please! Mama, more. '_ You chuckle, giving him one last taste drawing your attention back to the invisible crowd. 

"Well, you heard it here first folks. It passes the Sil-bugs board of approval, and I'm sure it'll win yours too. Try it at home, and I'll see you next time until then you're off the **cook**! Like and leave a follow, bye for now. _Say bye, Silas_." You sign to which he does rapidly, not looking at the camera eyes pinned on the dessert as if that will get him faster. You shake your head, going to turn off the camera and putting the cake alongside his back in the fridge, much to his distaste. He starts to cry, his tiny face scrunching up in dissatisfaction. You ignore this behavior as you set him back in his high chair, setting up your laptop so you could edit the film so you can post it later.

"Shush, you're lucky you even got that so early in the morning." You muttered to yourself, going to grab some of his favorite toys and place them in front of him. He, of course, is not interested. You sigh, " _Be nice, Mama needs to work. Play_." You instruct again, wiping his eyes as you rub his cheek comforting him waiting for him to calm a bit before signing again. " _Play with your toys for mama, okay?_ " He sniffed hard before looking down at the toys you gathered and with an attitude all of his own begrudgingly played with the toys.

You smile as you get to work, which doesn't take long since you did most of it the other day when you made the first ice cream cake. You post it to your blog and you are filled with the gratification of having shared your passion with the world. You put away your items, humming pleasantly while you once again pick up Silas, albeit a grumpy one this time. Placing him on the floor, grabbing his hand while he held his favorite teddy bear, 'Baba,' in the other. Silently guiding him back into the room to get him adequately ready for the day. 

"Well, aren't you handsome?" You complement, not that he notices as he continued to tug at the sleeves of his black and white striped sweater. He looked so comfortable in his black sweatpants and white baby converse with green graphic socks that had adorable baby bugs poking out the sides of them. You grinned as you lowered yourself to his level, waving a hand in front of him to get his attention.

" _Hey, we're going to the store today. Store, okay_?" He stares at you blankly before answering.

" _We go, store_?" He asks, his small features furrowing in question. You smile as you comb through his hair with your fingers pulling his hair into a short ponytail. When you are done, you sign at him again.

" _Yes, the store. We need to get more food, but Mama has to finish up a few more things before we go. Is that alright?"_ You reiterate as you exaggerate your expressions as your instructor had taught you, stressing that you had to when signing to children.

" _Store have candy. Want candy._ " He struggles with some of the gestures, some of them looking a tad bit wanky, but the effort was there, and you're happy about that. 

" _Yes, the store has candy, but we are getting food. No candy, baby_."

" _Baby_?" He repeats with a tilt of his head. 

" _Yes, you're mama's baby_." You remind him.

" _Store, want candy. Please?_ " Oh no, he's giving you those little puppy dog eyes, RESIST! 

" _No, baby. Food, I'll let you finish your cake after lunch, okay_?"

" _Want cake_." He said with a start, as though remembering the treat from earlier.

" _After lunch, okay_?" You say, remaining firm.

" _Okay, Mama_." He replies, giving in to your demands.

You press a kiss to his forehead to which he returns a brief hug. You lower him to the floor again, walking into the living room, knowing Silas was right on your heels. You hand him your phone putting on that baby shark video he's been obsessed with lately, despite being unable to listen to that actual video. You assume he likes it for the graphics, you were just lucky enough to find an ASL version to show him. He gets comfortable into his spot onto the floor while you sit at the small dining room table, and start opening the mail from yesterday. By mail, you mean the bills you left there yesterday, shuffling through them as you separate the junk from the mail.

"Junk, junk, bill, junk, bill. _Oooh_ , would you look at that, bill." As riveting as sorting the mail, it wasn't half as thrilling as opening them. And a thriller it was, so much so you that you believed that it were a horror movie, eyes bulging at the cost of everything. "Fuck…" You try to swallow the lump in your throat as you crumble the papers in your hands. ' _How did this even happen? I was so careful this time, why are these so high again_?'

Your mind is riddled with confusion as you try to pin down any practical reason as to why they've gone up. Groaning loudly when you don't find one. You were being so frugal for the past couple months, to the point that it was becoming ridiculous. You were taking five minutes showers. Using natural daylight during the light hours and keeping them off once the sun had set, providing Silas a battery-powered night light for the meantime. You had the AC off even during the colder nights, setting up a small heater in Silas's room alone, toughening it out as you shiver underneath your blankets. You bought a portable washing machine to save up on going to the laundromat. You even cut off your cable, just paying the wifi in hopes of getting a cheaper bill.

"So, why do they keep increasing?" You said aloud. You've done everything in your power that you could think of, resorting to vocalizing your concerns to the billing companies to ensure they weren't overcharging you. They sent people over to check what was going on only to conclude that: _'Yes, this apartment has indeed been using the resources listed as there are no other viable complications that could cause the influx in cost other than usage.'_ You even called _him_ to check it out, only for him to say the same thing, albeit a bit less pleasant.

You swallow hard as your face falls into your hands. "What am I going to do?" You push the palms of your hands harder into your eyes in an attempt to keep yourself from crying, though that doesn't stop the sob that escapes your lips. You're having a moment... Well you were until you feel two tiny pats on your knees. You look up a bit to see Silas little face form a small frown as he draws his inexperienced hands up to try and ask you what's wrong.

" _Nothing, baby. Nothing's wrong. Mama's alright, it's alright._" You lie, not wanting to explain to a two year old the intricacies of motherhood, and how he may not be able to go to the zoo that week despite your best attempts to save for it. You don't even want to think about how you're going to break the news to him, so you don't. " _Everything is good! "_ He doesn't believe you for a second, his frown only deepening. 

" _Mama, sad. You cry, what wrong_?" He asked again, cupping your face with both of his hands. You sigh as you press your forehead to his forcing a smile onto your face. ' _Pull yourself together Y/n. Let's not do this in front of him, at least._ ' You pull away for a moment to reassure him.

" _I'm fine, nothing's wrong. Want to sit with Mama for a bit?_ " He nodded his head stumbling to retrieve your phone before hobbling back to the couch to crawl into your lap. You hug him close while he browsers through your phone to his favorite matching game to play it diligently. You take a deep breath, finding comfort in the light scent of applesauce coming off of him promising you'll bathe him once you get back.

' _It's gonna be alright.’_ You thought to yourself as you cling to your child _. 'I'll just have to budget better this month. Yeah… I'll cut back on groceries for me and stock up for Silas. Maybe sell that ice cream cake to Mrs. Clifford later on this afternoon, I know she always wants to help out a bit. I can also stop by the local pantry to see what they've got.’_ You smile to yourself, ‘ _yeah, it's gonna be just okay.’_

With that you come to terms with not getting that new jacket this month, you'll have to ignore the fact it's a size too small, and it's dinghy appearance for now. You also kiss away your dreams of getting a replacement stand mixer for another month or so, if possible. The other one you had was simply a blessing you found at a thrift store six months ago, but has since been out of commission for the past three weeks. You flutter away the remaining wetness from your eyes, reaching over Silas to grab your notebook and pen so you could set the budget for this month. When you are done, you're left with about a hundred and sixty-six dollars for the month. 

"Not good, but not terrible either." If you portion it just right you can get everything you need and maybe have enough for a recipe or two. With newfound confidence, you lift up Silas, grinning down at the beautiful baby boy in your arms. "Well, let's get this show on the road." You get his baby bag and reusable jars ready while stashing a snack or two for him, grabbing Baba and handing it to him. He holds him close, he looks to you then to the floor, waiting. 

You ruffle his dark, loosely curled hair as you take hold of his hand. You lead him out of the apartment while you lock the door behind you. You both stroll leisurely through the halls of the worn-down apartment complex, and though it wasn't great, it was the best you could afford without resorting to the slums. You paid a pretty penny to stay in this place, even if it was just one step up from a trash heap you're sure it's worth it. It's all worth it if it provides the tiniest bit of protection and security for your child. 

Despite that, you promised once you made enough money that you were going to move out and go to a place that was ten times better than this dump. You could picture it now, it would be a place on the nicer side of town. It would have a yard where Silas can run around in, and you would get a puppy for him to play with. That place would have a large kitchen where you could create all the recipes you wanted, whenever you wanted. Hell, you could even start a catering business and hold events right out of your backyard. You wouldn't have to pinch pennies anymore or have to worry if you'll make ends meet the next day, next week, or next month. A life where you were just _comfortable_ , where it was only you and Silas, living life to the fullest. 

' _Yeah, that's the dream…_ ' You shake yourself from such thoughts, concluding that now is not the time. You pick up Silas so you can get out the apartment faster, rushing past you know who's door, not wanting to run into _them_ today. You're relieved when you don't. Once you're outside, you walk straight to your beat-up silver minivan. You set his bag in the backseat as you strap him into his car seat. You get into the driver's seat, heading to Parker Brothers Grocery, your favorite zero-waste grocery store, and pray for everything to be on sale.

  
  


* * *

You hum to yourself as you go down the aisles, glancing at the condiment section as you review your list of items before strolling past them to look at the canned food across the way. You're not really paying any mind to your surroundings, you're in the zone, continuing to browse the selection in front of you. You were in the middle of debating whether you really needed two jars of Nutella or none '... _you can't Y/n, you can't afford it right now, and you need to think about Silas cause he really needs to get his vitamins. You can't think of yourself when you're the only one here for him and-...'_ Silas starts trying to get your attention waving and clapping adding a soft grunt here and there.

"Huh?" You snap out of your trance to look down at Silas, whose focus is down the aisle somewhere. You're somewhat confused as Silas doesn't really take an interest in a lot of things. " _What's wrong, baby_?" You sign though that doesn't entirely break his gaze. You turn his head back to you and sign again to which he responds with a swift. 

" _Mama, look. Look._ " Turning to point again. You decided to look back at and were surprised to be met with the sight of a monster. Not just any monster, a short skeleton monster with a gnarly hole in the side of his skull. He was staring blankly at the shelves before looking down to what seemed to be a grocery list, squinting while they looked up at the shelves then to a dangling sign then back to the list, this time with a crease furrowing in between their brows? (How is that even possible?) He did this several times before taking a deep sigh, stuffing the paper into a stained up blue jacket as he proceeded to kick at the metal bottom of the shelf with a worn-out pink slipper.

'... _Maybe he can't find what he's looking for?'_ You take a quick glance at Silas, whose eyes haven't moved off the skeleton since he pointed them out. ' _Well, Silas doesn't seem have a problem with them… Should I help them out?'_ You ask to yourself despite your feet already pushing the cart with Silas towards the monster, pulling a welcoming smile onto your face,

"Hey, do you need help?" You ask gently, congratulating yourself when you didn't flinch when the one red eye light had affixed onto your form. He blinks a couple times then looks behind him as if he didn't believe you were talking to him. You couldn't stop the giggle that escapes you. "I'm talking to you, silly. After watching you take your frustration out on the poor defenseless shelf, I assumed you were having a bit of trouble, yes?" They looked at you in a way you can only describe as perplexed before it shifted into a relaxed expression shrugging his shoulders slightly.

"...heh, ya caught me, kid." DAMN! His voice was out of this world, and your brain couldn't understand how a sound could be as smooth and deep at the same time. It was rich but held a tinge of edge to it, but before you can swoon to hard for his voice your thoughts were interrupted by the excited giggling of your toddler. He's hopping as best as he could in his toddler seat, making grabbing motions towards the stranger. You think the monster's grin pulls a bit tighter at the corners as the glow of his eye burns brighter when looking down at Silas. ' _Huh, wonder what that look means?'_ Well, Silas doesn't mind it, and you don't feel as though it's an adverse reaction, so you don't pull back.

"... so, that's yer lil' bro, right?" You notice that there's a little bit of hesitation or a delay in his speech, but you make a point to not make a big fuss of it.

"...heh he's real cute" He compliments with a small raise of his bone brow? He holds out his hand towards Silas looking at you for permission, and is surprised when you push the cart closer to him silently granting him access for him to play with Silas. You both watched with caution as he reached towards one of Silas's grabbing hands, grinning when he grabs hold and burst with enthusiasm at making a new friend. The two of you relax, knowing that your child isn't going to burst into tears at befriending the intimidating skeleton. The skeleton seemed to still be reeling at that fact, hah wait until you tell him this…

"Nope, he’s my one and only son." His eyes flicker from Silas then back to you trying to read you. You send him a smug smile, resting a hand to your hip as you let him take you in. Once he seemed to confirm for himself that Silas was indeed your kid, he nodded, giving you a rumbling ' _hmm_.' He looked as if he were going to say something else but halted mid-conversation, seeming to zone out, the red light in his socket growing hazy. You shift awkwardly on your feet before you attempt to reintroduce him back to reality. 

"Hey, there, big guy." You whisper softly, leaning down toward him at a comfortable distance. Enough to provide reassurance, but far enough to not invade his personal space if he needed it. You watched patiently as the haze over his eyes lifted, and sharpens up. Somehow, you know he's back.

"There you are..." You hum comfortingly to him. He blinks a few times as a light blue dusting grows onto his cheekbones, but is gone when you lean away, though it went totally unnoticed by you. "I know it **must** ard be hard to believe, but you gotta **ketchup** with the times." You teased, pulling the condiments from behind him, shaking them to emphasize the puns. You didn't expect him to laugh let allow buckle over holding his sides with breathless giggles. His laughter was soft contrary to how much his shoulders shook.

"...those were... good, kid. **tibia** , honest …. they're **killing** me, I-i mean look i'm **dead**." He rattled off as he tries to gain back his composure, but his laughter is infectious and your snickering right along with him. When you're both finally finished with goofing off, you speak up again.

"So where'd you go, buddy, you alright?" You probe with a joking lilt to your voice, giving him an out if he needed one. "Cuz, if you went to Vegas, take me with you next time." His stance is relaxed, but your mother's intuition is telling you not to buy that shit for a second. It's like he's too lax for it to be real. It took so long for him to answer that you almost thought he wasn't going to until he tapped a phalange to the side of his skull with that same halfway eerie grin of his.

"...heh, sorry… just **check-out** from time ta time. it happens when ya got a **hole** lotta think 'bout." You give a half-hearted chuckle, not entirely sure if it was okay to laugh at the play on words or not. You think he senses if the roll of his eye light was anything to go off on. "... it's a joke, ya can laugh." You can feel your cheeks get hot.

"Well, excuse me for trying to be considerate. It _won't_ happen again." You huff turning your face away. You only turn back when you hear a light chuckle coming from him. "Anyway, that must be the reason you were looking at that row of relish like it was your lost lover for the past five minutes, huh?" The dusting from before comes back but with a force to be reckoned with. He scratches the back of his head looking almost ashamed.

"... yeah…bro's been waitin' a while...probably thinks...i got lost in da candy aisle... hehe." He tries to joke but you can practically taste the nervous energy pooling off of him. Oh no, you didn't want to make him feel weird about it. You're quick to backtrack. 

"Haha, it happens to the best of us, but that's why Silas and I are gonna help you out. _Right, Silas_?" You said turning to sign at him. " _Right, Silas, we're going to help him, aren't we_?" He squeals as he repeats his version of help. "If that's alright with you, that is?" You reiterate allowing him to give the final verdict letting him decide if he wanted the help or not. His eye goes fuzzy a bit again, but you murmur some gentle 'hey's' and 'buddy's,' pulling him back in. The furrow in his brow deepens as he glares down at the tiled floors. You can tell he's starting to get frustrated with himself; with a small grunt, he silently pulls out the crumpled up piece of paper from before, handing it to you.

"...got no reason ta refuse…" You walk to the end of the aisle, sending a smile back his way.

"Come on then. As they say, time waits for no one." The trip around the store kinda continued like that. You would show him where he could find the ingredients listed, exchange puns with one another and wake him from his daze when he dove in too deep. In no time flat, you were all set and in the check-out line with both of your groceries. 

* * *

"...-do you know _any_ other jokes other than puns?" You tease, stifling your giggles.

"...Nah, ain't got the **stomach** for anythin' else." Commence more snickering. You both ignore the timid cashier that's bagging the skeleton's food. Then you suddenly realize something.

"Hey, I don't think I caught your name." He raises what you think is a bone brow, giving you a flat stare.

"...good cuz... I didn't **throw** it."

"Haha. A **comic** now, are you?." That earns you a chuckle. You lead the three of you towards the sliding doors, stopping short of actually stepping through the exit.

"...hehe...yer only half right. it's sans, sans the skeleton." ' _Oh, like the font.’_

"Y/n, Y/n the human, and it was a pleasure meeting you…but I gotta run." You say sadly, not really wanting to part with your new boney friend. "As you can see, Silas is in dire need of a nap." You say gesturing to your toddler who was being a trooper by attempting to not nod off. Unfortunately, he was failing miserably. You caress his cheek to which he immediately leaned into, snoring away a storm. You shake your head at him as you wonder how in the world you got such an adorable child.

"See you around, yes?" You hope, smiling wider when he nodded yes. 

“...heh… sure, pal…" You eyes gleaming as you meet his gaze only for them to shift to his hands while you watch him fish out his wallet, proceeding to pull out a large sum of money. You don't bother to count it. "Uhh, You already paid for your food, bud?" He stared blankly at you for a moment, tilting his head slightly to the left.

"...yeah, I know?" He said as he continued to collect the money in his hands. You were about to write it off as him just counting it until he tried handing the wad to you.

"... What are you doing?"

"...given ya money?"

"What, why!?" 

"...eh…? i don't got any gold… so yer gonna have ta settle fer this..."

"No, that is not the problem. Why are you giving me money? You don't have to do that." He just shrugged again, leaning forward a tad to drop the wad into Silas’s lap.

"...just a monster thing." He offered unhelpfully as he began to walk away…walk away? Wait a minute!

"Hey, I can't accept this!? It's too much, too much!" You stressed as you chase after him out of the store. He turned halfway to partially meet your eyes, red eye light looking almost piercingly at you.

"... don't worry 'bout it." He retorted, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he made it a mission to avoid your gaze. "...it's just... a thanks fer... helpin' me out...uhh...okay?... see ya, y/n." He mumbled hurriedly, continuing to stroll away. You were about to resume chasing after him to return his money, but when you had blinked your eye he was gone.

"What... The actual... Fuck?" You look down at your surprisingly still sleeping tot, who's lap had well over a hundred bucks in it, _minimum_. Well, at least you'll have enough to cover that coat this month.

* * *

Silas’s room:

  
  


[Perseverance Is Better Than Defeat: Chapter One Audio](https://youtu.be/GRIF4d4UqSI)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Join my discord in the meantime. [Here](https://discord.gg/QdG4DQQ)
> 
> [Follow my Tumblr here!](https://thethymewarpingmenace.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Leave a comment, a kudos, a bookmark. They literally push me forward, love you my little monsters! 
> 
> Remember to always Persevere.  
> 
> 
> I would like to take this moment to thank, ReadWithDetermination for creating this audio for me. It came out really well and it was interesting to see them take a story I wrote and turn it into something amazing. They’re a main source of inspiration for me, and has really push me forward to better myself and my writing. I love reading and listening to their audios as they are very well made, and you can truly tell that they care about their work. They’re everything I strive to be, so please go check them out and show them some support. It would mean the world to me! Thank you guys so much and Remember To Alway Persevere!
> 
> READWITHDETERMINATION Links:
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> AO3: <https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReadWithDetermination>  
> TUMBLR: <https://readwithdetermination.tumblr.com/>  
> YOUTUBE: <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaQd1Pjqd6plN9Z8EjmvVvg/featured>  
> 


	2. “He Who Has A Why To Live Can Bear With Almost Any How.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life’s hard, but hell doesn’t coffee help?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is chapter is divided into two part, next part should be out in a day or two. Love ya guys and stay safe!
> 
> Wanna chat, join my discord [Here](https://discord.gg/QdG4DQQ)
> 
> Sources used in this chapter:  
> [Here](https://youtu.be/9NGfeXqIYAI)  
>    
> 
> 
> Perseverance is better than defeat—audio two 
> 
> Trigger warnings, see end of notes for more details.

[Perseverance is better than defeat—audio two](https://youtu.be/CQFZUx5Wd-o)

_“Babe, look at this!” His voice calls out to you. It was just as you remembered it, brimming with unquenchable energy as it vibrated through the air. Light and unshakable. You follow his voice, feet guiding you to him within the confines of your shared space. When you reach him, he is sitting in his favorite spot on the couch—feet pulled in so to rest his head onto his knees, blanket wrapped around his shoulders, face glued onto the computer, a boyish grin gracing his lips._

_You take this time to admire the way his emerald eyes seemed to sparkle at whatever was on screen. With a smile, you come up behind him, wrapping your arms around his neck to which he jumps at, quick to relax upon realizing it was you. You hug him close over the couch. You close your tired eyes for a single moment, though that doesn’t stop you from greeting him with vigor._

_“What’s got you riled up so early in the morning? You are not due out of your den until at least noon.” You poked fun while he returns your quip with a simple eye roll._

_“Haha, full of jokes, aren’t you?” It was a rhetorical question, but you answer him anyway._

_“Hey, even if I’m_ **_bearly_ ** _awake, you're just going to have to_ **_bear_ ** _with me.” With you being pressed so close to him, you could feel him force a frown onto his face. It pleases you to hear him press the keys just that bit harder._

_“Those were terrible, and using the same one doesn’t count.” He grumbles in the way you have learned to interpret as endearing._

_“It’s seven in the morning, so unless you give me a better one, shut your mouth! Until_ **_den_ ** _zip it. I’m trying_ **_beary_ ** _hard, you know!”_

_“Clearly not hard enough, I see.” He snipped with a sly grin earning him a light smack to his face. “Owwy, no attacking the money maker.” You snort at that._

_“Yeah, sure. Tell me that when you actually start making money.” You got a light nip and a glare for that one._

_“Be nice, I am your future husband, you know.” You hum, pressing a kiss to his temple._

_“Oh, I know…” He goes to give you a kiss, but you evade by blowing hot morning breath into his face. He scrunches his nose before going back to the laptop with a pout. You chuckle. “As much as I enjoy your presence, I’m sure you called me here for a reason?” You remind, fluttering your eyes open only for them to land on his laptop, which was open to a real estate website. You turned to him. A raised eyebrow and another question pressed to your lips, but the answer was already ringing in your ears._

_“Beautiful, isn’t it? It’s … our home, or at least I hope it’ll be.” He takes this moment to steal a glance of you, pushing the frames of his glasses up more so he could look at you more clearly. “One day… if you like it, that is.” You hold his gaze for just a moment, genuinely observing the open page, leaning forward to grab the mouse to peruse the gallery._

_The house wasn’t anything spectacular. Really. If you were frank, but what it lacked in grandeur, it made up in character. It was as the website described it, “A quintessential farmhouse with a stone foundation, wide porch, and board-and-batten siding gains modern appeal with a pitched metal roof and clean lines.” The land flourished with dazzling bright flowers blooming in the garden that was so vibrant against the green grass in front. It was so simple yet so elegant. It was truly beautiful._

_“It’s wonderful...” Yes, wonderful… until you saw the selling price. “Mattie, we can’t afford this.” You express this worry as clear as day onto your face when you turn to him but are met with a confident smirk. He pressed a kiss to your cheek as you watched that determined glint twinkle in his eyes._

_“Yet… my love.” He murmured. His tone grew soft while he turned his fierce gaze back to the computer screen, allowing the passion to pool off him in waves. “Not yet…” You were Awestruck. Left stranded, unable to comprehend how his confidence never seemed to waver nor quake under any sort of pressure, and some days you wished you could be more like him._

_You felt a deep burning inside your chest grow, and though it could never match the surging fire of your lovers' eyes, it still smoldered with a gentle steadiness of an ember. Sure, You could never rage forth and tackle the forces of the world like Matt seems to do, and to do it without fear of the consequences like he does. No, you weren’t like that. What you could do was take each challenge head-on, and work with the cards you were dealt. That’s what suited you best. That's what felt right. That’s just so… you. You let out a slow breath, a smile tracing your features once again. You held Matt close._

_You made a promise right then. You were going to live in a beautiful home with your family, and may it never be this luscious house Matt is showing you now, deep inside you knew it would be a lovely home. How can it not be? Not when you were going to be sharing it with the two people you love the most in this world. You sing a soft tune, one with no particular lyrics— a song all of your own as you drag one hand from around your fiancé to your belly, rubbing it oh so tenderly._

_‘Only five more months, baby… only five more months.’ You thought cheerily turning your eyes back to the house, your mind filling with daydreams of waking there each morning and living your lives ordinarily, but always filled with laughter and joy._

_“You’re right… maybe one day.” He smiled at you as he softly squeezed the hand that was still around him, his smile growing as you both fell into a comfortable quiet, clicking through images of your ‘future’ home. Hopes rising, hearts soothing, as promises of ‘Not yet,’ linger in the air._

* * *

  
  


You blink away the haze in your eyes, wobbling a bit, looking around in a sort of daze, wondering what triggered such a memory. However, once your eye caught sight of a home that was all too familiar to one from a time long lost, you were quickly well aware of the reason. There stood a house that held a striking similarity to that of a fragment of the past. A wave of nostalgia slammed into you like a bus as you gazed fondly at the house, a bittersweet smile edged into your face. A light tug on your sleeve pulled you from the enchantment.

You looked down at Silas, who was giving a curious gaze as he held onto you tightly. Upon seeing his calm disposition, it was safe to assume that you hadn’t drifted off in Lala land for too terribly long. You take a second to recollect yourself, then grin to the toddler as you readjust the bags in your hands to grip his hand better. You continue the walk back to the apartment, thankfully, without any more distractions. It does not take you long to make it to your crummy apartment, making a b-line to your door. You’re glad when you don't run into any unwanted company.

You make quick work of loading all your new items into your dwelling, finding amusement in how Silas stumbles beside you, despite carrying the smallest and lightest bag. He is always an angel about it though. Not looking the least bit frustrated as he focused on making it to the doorway to relieve his own burden, once he made it through the threshold, gently laying down his load while he looked into your eyes— his own sparkling as they searched for approval. To not disappoint, you are quick to offer up a proud smile, setting your own bags onto the floor, so you could praise him properly.

“ _Thank you, Silas, appreciate the help. Does this mean you’re Mama’s Knight now?”_ You sign alongside shaking your hands in the ASL applause for him. You can already see the positive effect it’s having on his self-esteem. He smiles excitedly, his small frame incapable of holding in all his energy. He flails about looking to burst at the seams with excitement.

“ _Knight?”_ He questions not entirely understanding the principles of the title. You grin down at him, ready to exaggerate the glimmer and glamour of being a storybook Knight. Taking out your phone to show him some pictures. He beams, eyes filled with _hope_.

“ _Yeah, it is someone really cool, as they help and protect people. Aren’t you cool and helpful, Silas?”_ The little boy grins up at you as he proceeds to sign the phase 'I’m so cool,' and the new word Knight with his unschooled hands. He continues to hop from foot to foot as he races to the living room, squealing while he circles the couch with as much clumsy grace a toddler can manage. You laugh at the sight as you gather up your load and rest them on the dining room table.

You plant yourself onto your couch as you watch Silas with an amused grin, taking this moment to enjoy the eruption of laughter escaping the child. You let him slip past you, looking seemingly unbothered as the kid makes his rounds, though the playful gleam in the child’s face informed you that he knew better than to trust your docile disposition. What can you say you had to live up to his expectations. A sliver of your mischief peaks through your mask as a devilish smirk becomes your only warning for when the child passes the mark of no return, you’re quick to snatch him off his feet. He fights against your grasp; however, your arms are wrapped too snugly around for him to worm his way out.

With practice ease, you immobilize the small child's hands. Attacking his sides mercilessly, never relenting as the laughter is ripped free of him. You tickle him endlessly until his tiny hands sign the word for ‘stop’ and ‘no.’ Your touch turned soft, permitting Silas to twist out of your hold. He remained close to your side, head to yours, as though he did not fear another tickle attack. 

You poke at his side, teasingly. He balls his fist into the shoulders of your shirt, burying his head to the bottom of your neck. You both take calming breaths, a giggle escaping every so often as the excitement of your game dies out. Silas tries to reignite the fun by flopping into your lap, hugging his sides, a weak attempt of protection, looking up at you expectantly as a fit of laughter slips from him. 

Much to his dismay, you chose to pepper his small form with sloppy wet kisses to which he fought his hardest to flee from. It didn’t take long for you to have your fill of adorable torture, deciding to let the mini ball of energy to regain his lost freedom once more. He made a show of wiping away your slobbery kisses, sending you a mild look of disgust. He signs things like ‘gross’ and ‘my face wet, mama gross,’ to you, and you choked back a giggle. You pet the top of his head, reigning yourself in.

“ _Ah, Mama’s sorry. How about you go get your art supplies and draw a few things for me, okay?”_ You instructed gently. Pointing to the T.v stand that held the items you spoke of—in a soft fabric green basket just under the television. He complied quickly enough, going to collect the basket with unsteady hands as he brought it back to the table. You do help him lift the items into a secure spot onto the table as you set rows of crayons and markers neatly across the stacks of papers and coloring books. 

You take out his favorite coloring book—a book filled to the brim with different sorts of insects, much to your chagrin. You did not understand his obsession with bugs. However, you would never do anything to discourage his interest. You just have to pray that one day he will stop putting little buggy ‘friends’ into your open hands, and underneath your pillows, on the rare incidences, he sleeps with you. You let Silas get to work only after he promises to not draw on anything other than his drawing materials.

“ _Yes, Mama. I promise.”_ You relax back into your seat as you take to observing Silas complete the difficult task of coloring in the lines, and as enthralling as watching Silas color, your mind keeps drifting to other places. By that, you mean, you mean a particular skeleton, and the issue of the money hovering over your conscious. About a month has passed, and you have not seen your generous philanthropist anywhere. Which, for the most part, was kinda your fault as you ask to see him again without even exchanging info. You couldn’t fault him for forgetting to provide it, seeing how he had trouble remembering a simple grocery list as is, but that left you no way to contact your savior and no means to repay him.

As much as you would have liked to say that you hadn’t taken advantage of the money given to you by the small monster, or say you were able to hold off every temptation of spending the conveniently handed cash. If you were to say any of that, it would be a massive fucking lie. You were in desperate need of the six hundred and ninety dollars that the skeleton monster just so happened to be offering. (Yes, you counted. And yes, you giggled at the discovery because something inside told you that amount was no accident.) 

You had a whole mouth to feed, and being a single mother living off a single source income did not leave much room to question where the money came cause at the end of the day, you needed to have a roof over your head. You did try to hold off on spending it though, waiting for a little over two weeks before the money became too hot inside your pocket. With the call of a rumbling tummy and no skeleton insight, you were left with no choice. You spent the money wisely, getting what you needed alongside those new jackets, feeling the bite of winter quickly approaching. 

You were able to get the new stand mixer, and a ton more food so you and Silas could be comfortable for some time. Sure, it meant eating oatmeal for the better most of your life, but hell, at least it was something. Unfortunately, you were not able to put the rest into savings because the asshat himself had scammed you out of the last few bucks you had. He accused you of damaging the brush where everyone parked their car and bullied you into paying for the repair and labor of it. 

You refused, at least at first, Refuting his claim as you never park over there, and mainly for this reason, but as always, he was able to twist it around just right to make you cough up the cash. What could you do? The guy had no cameras, nor you or your neighbors could afford to put any of your own up. Plus, the guy would basically threaten anyone with eviction if they did not comply with his story. Inevitably, you did have to break it to Silas that he was not going to go to the zoo, which of course, resulted in a meltdown. Your chest burned with pure rage while you had to rock and hold your baby, empathizing with your child as he worked through his disappointment despite your heart screaming for retribution. It was so frustrating.

The scene nearly broke your damn heart. You wanted nothing more than to give Silas the world and then some but were rendered helpless to do so. So yeah, it has been a long and quite an eventful few weeks. One thing that did pull through was your blog, the video catching some traction like always, well since the monsters were granted full citizenship, that is. You knew that a lot of your following was made up of monsters, mainly by the messages left by them. Thanking you for wasting as little of a meal as possible. 

You don't know a lot about monsters... but could empathize with their struggle and understood what they did was to survive. You couldn’t even begin to imagine what it must have been like, glancing down to Silas who was in the middle of coloring a spider. _‘If I were stuck down there with Silas, what would I have done?’_ You shutter at the disturbing thoughts that flooded your mind, shaking your head to due away the imaginations as you glance down at your phone to check the time. It read 12:23pm. 

“Hmm… I guess it’s that time, isn't it?” You muttered as you scroll through your messages. You were to meet one of your friends, Katy, at the local cafe around one o’clock today. Not that you needed to rush or anything, she wasn’t called Katy the Flaky for nothing. The concept of her flaking was a near-constant, girl had a real commitment issue, but you loved her all the same because she always made an effort when it really counts. You sigh one last time before pushing yourself onto your feet, so you can place all your new items into their rightful place. You make sure to glance back into the living room to check on Silas’s progress, chuckling once he has given up on staying in the lines and has begun scribbling onto the paper randomly with a black marker.

You look at the clock; it read 12:28pm. Nodding to yourself, you walk in front of Silas as you wave a hand to grab his attention. It was not an easy feat, not with how engaged he was into his artwork. After a few more attempts and even more patience, you got him to look up at you long enough to send him the message.

“ _We’re going to the cafe today. Can you finish up your drawings so we can leave in five minutes, please? ” _ He seemed to understand, nodding along with your words as he put the final touches to his masterpiece, which was a green smiley face. He brings it up to you, eyes searching for recognition. 

_“ I like the smiley face, it’s adorable_.” He beams as he sets down his artwork, bouncing in place as he signs to you.

_“It's green, like green. Green favorite._ _”_ He then hunched over to point at the spider he colored in. “ _Spider orange. I made a spider orange.”_

_“Yes, you did draw him orange. Do you like orange, Silas?”_

_“Orange spider, I like orange.”_

_“ That’s great! Are you ready to clean up yet?” _ He had to think about that a minute as if he was truly analyzing if he were ready or not. As a minute came and passed, he nodded his answer.

“ _Yes, I’m ready. Help, please?”_ You smile.

_“ Of course,” _ and so you helped him put the caps back onto his markers and into their little baggies, having lost their boxes ages ago. You let him close the ziplock, knowing full well he couldn’t close it all the way but got fussy when you tried to do it. Sure, the markers would roll out, but nothing you can’t fix once he was out of sight. He goes to Stack all the coloring books and paper into the basket, allowing Silas the honor of sliding it back under the t.v. You watched him tuck in there securely, taking a glancing around to make sure everything is accounted for. Once you’re sure they are, you give Silas an appreciative smile and a thumbs up.

“ _Good job.”_

_“Thank you, Mama.”_

_“ You’re welcome, baby. Let’s get going, okay?” _ You're grateful that you do not have get him ready again since you did just come from the store. Silas still had his shoes on. All you had to do was slide his jacket back on and walk out. You peek at the for the last time the time reading 12:45pm. Okay, so a tad early. Not that it matters, just because Katy was a flake did not mean you had to be one too. With one last look to a complacent Silas, you head out, and hopefully, to a familiar face.

* * *

“Yes, can I have a large latte with a kids chocolate milk, please.” You felt a swift pat on your leg to look down to see a small pair of eyes, glittering from a little red velvet cupcake than to you, practically begging you with an insistent gaze. _‘Well… he was pretty good today…’_ And that was how you got weaseled out of an additional five dollars and a crying wallet. 

“You’re very lucky that I love you.” You groan, snatching up the overpriced confectionery goodness as you march up to your designated seat—the second row from the door, window seat with a cushioned booth. 

You usually sit at the door closest to the entrance just in case Silas wants to be a brat and decides to throw a tantrum in the middle of eating. That way, you can take him out for a breather as well as keep a good watch on your items in the instance you have to leave them behind. It’s not like you want to assume anyone would try and steal your stuff, however, it just wasn’t wise to depend on the staff who honestly don’t get paid enough to watch your things.

You set the plate down to lift Silas into the booth, moving him into your lap once you sat down. Silas’s gaze is solely on the treat ahead of him, and you do your best to not roll your eyes. You cut the cake into two, one side dwarfing the other. You slid the small piece onto Silas, taking the larger slice for yourself, placing it on one of the available napkins on the table. Silas doesn’t seem to mind that his piece is the smaller of the two and just digs into the scrumptious dessert. You take a bite out of your share, relishing in the rich flavor of the cream cheese frosting, the moistness of the velvet, and the decadent tang from the buttermilk. It was almost worth splurging on… almost.

You and Silas enjoy your cake for the most part. Both of you relax in the familiar atmosphere of the cafe. The smell of freshly brewed coffee, the scent of sugary delights wafting from the back kitchen, the soft chatter of conversation of the people enjoying their afternoon in peace. The shop was not nearly as busy as it usually is, seeing as the coffee shop wasn’t bustling from the lunch rush yet, so you chalk up the slowness to it being a Sunday. 

To pass the time, you retrieve your beat-up mobile device and put on _‘Morphle Is Alone And Cries’_ the ASL release on for him. You rest your phone open on your pop socket like a movie stand, his eyes fixating automatically on the program. It was cute how invested he could get into the little animation; he continued to stuff the delicious red velvet cake in his chubby cheeks. You ignore the mess he was making on his face, leaving smears all over after you decided to clean it all off once he was completely done, so you wouldn’t be trapped in an endless battle of wiping food from the child’s face.

Granted, it wasn’t like he had a variety to choose from, and very few kid channels cater to deaf children. Even less, that did more than just spell the fucking alphabet. So yeah, it was frustrating. The search for actual educational content for Silas was a quest, but luckily you stumbled upon this MeTube channel called _Moonbug Kids Sign Language For Kids_.

_‘It was truly a god sent,’_ you thought as you pressed the play button to start the video. You would never admit this, but you often found yourself actually getting into the kitty animations even despite your best effort not to. It wasn’t like you sought out to watch the shows, but if you were… let’s say, in the same room as Silas, and he just so happened to be watching them… then there was no problem now there was it. Watching alongside him was only to encourage engagement, right? Plus, it helps keep your sign language from getting rusty and— _‘oh no, Morphle is crying again, don’t cry Morphle!’_

_‘...it’s not my fault! They make kid shows so enticing on purpose. It’s literally designed to draw their attention. I’m not weird.’_ Brain quick to rationalize your odd fascination with toddler cartoons, so much so, that you don’t notice the doorways little bells going off, signaling the appearance of a new customer. You were so enraptured by the adventures of Morphle that you don’t see a familiar stained blue hoodie walking up to the pastry display, or how a distinguishable pair of worn pink slippers rocked on their heels to lean forward and check out the cafe's goods. 

One was only left to wonder how that unmistakable crack skull went completely unnoticed by you. It wasn’t until that deep silk-like voice with just enough edge to it at the end had broken through your trance. Your gaze immediately shot up to the figure, eyes resting on the counter ahead of you as you watched that long-awaited figure quietly go about their day. 

“heh … c’mon kid, who’s **eatin** ya, it's like ya neva seen a skeleton before…” He trails off purposely, almost as if there were some hidden joke in his words. Not that you nor the girl behind the counter were given a chance to figure it out as he was quick to change the topic.

“...hehe can’t blame ya though, ain’t a **hole** lotta us...” He says with a slight tilt of his head subtle, emphasizing the cracked in his skull. It takes a moment for the joke to quite click with the barista, but when it does… oh boy, was it glorious. Much like you, she looked obviously uncomfortable at the self-deprecating humor. However, unlike you, this girl was unable to hold the snort of laughter that was ripped out of her. She slaps a hand over her mouth, looking absolutely mortified that she most likely mocked another’s shortcomings.

“Oh my gosh! Sir, I am so sorry, that was so rude of…” The young girl apologizes in hopes to perhaps soften the backlash if he were to write a complaint about her customer service. The girl, however, does not get far in her spluttering, Sans cuts her off with an easy chuckle.

“...it’s no **skin** off my bones, so don’t worry bout it… so I heard yeah guys got good stuff here, and my bro wanted ta get some...” He goes on to explain the kinds of cakes he needed the girl to wrap up for him. You take note of how he is speaking much more fluidly than it was back in the grocery store. His words aren’t as far apart, and his ability to stay focus has definitely shown some improvement.

_‘Maybe that time at the store was just an off day for him…’_ You determine, and before you could think much of it, you’re calling out to him.

“Hey, Sans! Long time, no see?” You greet, smiling as you wave over the affluent skeleton to your table. Simultaneously pulling a frosting covered finger out of Silas's nose. It's incredible how much you are capable of once you become a mother. There should be an award for this, you want a reward for this.

Nevertheless, you’ve caught the skeleton's attention, his dark red eye light squinting curiously at you. Your new buddy looked to have forgotten you before recognition crossed his boney features. A brief look of surprise flashes across his expression like he didn’t expect you to remember him and not only that but to call out to him as well. You roll your eyes goodnaturedly, motioning him over as you wait patiently for him to come over. 

Sans finally breaks from his daze, excusing himself from the barista casually as he makes his way toward you. You take this moment to move Silas onto the booth as you waited to greet Sans amiably on your feet. Mostly out of courtesy. Silas doesn’t mind being transferred from your lap much, taking to crawling towards the window to people-watch. He stuffed another finger into his nose, you pretend not to notice.

“...heya... been a while, hasn’t it, kid?” You nod, a playful smirk stretching on your lips.

“No thanks to a little somebody.” Chiding him with no real authority in your voice. You dust the crumbs off your well-used jeans. His eye light flutters down to your thighs, staying there a bit longer than necessary before they make it back to your eyes. You raise a brow in question, to which he just returns a coy shrug. You narrow your eyes a tad, but you decide to leave it where it stands. “I’ve wanted to thank you for that time… it really helped me out, like a lot.” He dismisses your thanks with an easy wave.

“... it’s no problem.” He takes note of your jacket, and you swore you saw the corners of his permanent grin, lifting the tiniest bit. “...glad it was goin’ tah good use…” You blushed as you tug shyly at the cuffs of your sleeves, brushing a loose hair from your heated cheeks. 

“Haha… yeah... I’ll totally pay you back once I get the chance, though! Things just have been rough for Silas and me, you know…? That money meant more than you’ll ever know…” You said, unable to hold back the sincerity in your words. “But, since you're here, whatever you order is on me!” You add quickly, not wanting to come off too emotional. Sans didn’t respond to you at first other than tilting his head ever so slightly to the right while he stared blankly at you. He didn’t say anything for the longest time, and if you were honest, it was making you a tad bit uncomfortable. You shook it off, telling yourself that it’s okay. He's just a Lil weird. “Sound like a plan, yeah?” This seems to bring him back to reality, he shakes his head.

“...don’t worry ‘bout it…” You smirk, swift to gather your purse into your hand while you pull out your wallet. He raised a bone brow at you, looking ready to reject your offer again, but you interrupt him, not giving him a chance.

“Don’t worry, _don’t worry?_ But I’m already so _worried_ , what will I do if I can't buy your precious bagels? Do you wish for me to cry?” You weep woefully as you lean against your booth pressing the back of your hand to your forehead as though you may faint. You take a moment to check on how Silas is fairing with your divided attention. 

You roll your eyes amusingly, to see him still picking for the gold you hope he never finds in his nose, you chuckle before getting back in character, much to Sans appreciation. It was clear as day that he’s enjoying your theatrics if his strained expression and shaking shoulders were a hint of any kind. So you continue. “For if I cannot repay my savior, what will I do with my life? Shall I forever be indebted to you, my lord?” He finally cracks at this, buckling over in a fit of giggles.

“...no, don’t kid!...please don’t c-call me tha—..” You cut off his giggles.

“You don’t like that? What about _my Liege_ , instead then?” Sans is cackling at this point, and you can’t stop the grin that’s tugging at your cheeks. Sans tries to reign in his laughter; in the meantime, you take this opportunity to tap on Silas' arm so you could sign ‘up we go’ before picking him up. Once Silas reaches out to you, you cradle him securely into your arms before turning back to Sans, the remnants of his giggles dying out. 

A smile warms your face. Laughter really does suit this little, slightly intimidating skeleton, and any tenseness you may have felt prior had fallen away with every deep rumble of his thunderous roar. “Well, come on. I can hear those delicious pastries calling your name, _my Liege_.” You tease as he wipes a false tear from his eye.

“...ya drive a hard bargain kid, i guess ya cou—...” Sounding like he was finally going to give in to your gentle but unwavering demands. He really was… until he didn’t. It was so abrupt, so unnerving as though you were looking through a lens that made everything go in slow motion. 

The way he stood frozen in place, sniffing the air, piercing maroon eye light zeroing into your side. More specifically, where Silas lied. His blown eye light has now shrunken into itself, beads of red sweat(??) drip down his skull. This shift in his attitude had most definitely put you on edge, backing ever so slightly away as you clutch the child in your grasp just that bit tighter. Not that he gave much notice, too absorbed into the headspace he was currently trapped in.

“Hey, you okay there, Buddy? You kinda locked up on me...” He doesn’t give a response, continuing to just stare at Silas with that damn near empty expression. You attempt to elevate the atmosphere with an awkward laugh, willing yourself to remain calm.

“...Come on, Sans, you’re sorta freaking me out here…” He doesn’t respond. Face stock still as he slowly slips a phalange inside his socket, tugging at it in a way you knew had to hurt. After what felt like a lifetime, but knew it couldn’t have been more than a few brief moments, he said something. Unfortunately, you didn’t hear him the first time because of how soft his voice was. Somehow as it was even quieter the second time, so you ask him to repeat himself. “Huh, what did you say?” His eye light looked to have refocused, just a bit, flickering over to meet yours. You both lock eyes, you watch patiently as he points another phalange over toward Silas.

“blood.” He said simply, not adding any sort of context other than that, leaving you stunned silent.

“Blood? What do you mea-...” You turn to look at Silas. Your cute, adorable, sweet, precious child and—‘ _Oh my god, Lil shit is bleeding!?’_ Silas just blinked calmly at you, finger swimming in the blood pooling out his nose. “No, you little goober!” You shout as you make your way back to the booth, proceeding to stuff napkins up the uncaring tot's nose. Nosebleeds were a pretty regular occurrence in your household, and surprisingly enough, Silas has no problem with it.

In fact, you were starting to think he did it on purpose, You can’t count the number of times you have caught Silas sitting there, ‘seemingly’ minding his own business then BAM—his taking a blood bath in his cheerios. (Yes, he was still eating them. Yes, you were disgusted, and yes, you took them from him, though it wasn’t without a fight.) Anyway, you were wiping the blood and snot off of Silas’s chin, thankfully none of it dropped onto his favorite green and orange striped sweater.

“I am so sorry, he’s such a goof when it comes to these things. He never tells me anything and just insists on dripping everywhere! It’s a funny story, one time-...” The small emergency had you totally forget the whole skeleton weirdness, and it wasn't until you turned back to sans that you smacked back into reality. He was still, looking like a man lost at sea, shrouded in nothing but a thick fog around him. You blink in confusion. 

‘ _Why is he…oh.’_ It suddenly clicks in, and you relax immediately. You clean Silas up the best you can, and after three baby wipes, after and one rolled up napkin later, your kid is as good as new. You set him down, holding his hand while you made sure to push him a bit behind you. A protective stance. You approach Sans, with a warm smile, but caution riddled in your form. You lower yourself to meet his gaze, your voice is soft like a whisper, but the strength and security that vibrates from it was more potent than any roar.

“He’s fine, Sans.” You can tell Sans is struggling to keep focus, eye light fuzzing in and out as he tugs on his other socket, you assume to ground himself. It doesn’t seem to be working, and something about him hurting himself just doesn’t sit right with you. “Hey, hey… let’s not do that, okay? Can you hear me, big guy?” You coo in an effort to console his fried nerves. “Hey, look at me, buddy.” You murmured steadily, waiting for his eye to truly meet your own. When he does, you give him an appreciative smile. 

He looks at you like a deer caught in the headlights, stiff and unflinching. His breathing has quickened in the time you had been with Silas, just barely bordering the lines of hyperventilation. He wasn’t quite to the point of panic, but hell, he was close. You remain calm, never allowing your voice to sound anything other than soothing. “Good, you’re okay. How about this, we’re going to sit in the booth over there, huh? Doesn’t that sound nice?” You assure, inwardly cringing at yourself for using your Mommy voice on him. Hell, it's all you know, so you sure as hell were gonna use it.

“Is it alright if I touch you?” You ask, holding out a hand toward him. You watch his unsure eye lights flicker from your palm then back to your face again. Conflicted. You keep an air of serenity about you, smiling a bit wider when the little skeleton nodded yes in confirmation. You slowly reach out to him, resting a gentle hand onto his shoulder as you lead him to the booth guiding him down into the seat. His breathing is getting worse by the second, doing himself no favors by hunching into himself.

“Hey, I’mma need you to sit back for me okay, buddy? It’s not good to curl up like that when you're breathing all weird.” You advise as you push him up until his back is to the seat. You help Silas on top of the table handing him your phone, so you can concentrate on soothing Sans. What can you possibly do to stop him from spiraling into a panic attack? You rack your brain for an answer until an idea pops into your head. 

“Hey sans, isn’t it a **brew** tiful day today?” Not much reaction, but you did see the corners of his lips twitch.

“Awe, come on cu **tea** , don’t leave me hanging!” You try again, the fuzz in his eyes sharpening just a tad bit.

“Oh come on Sans, I have a feeling you can **espresso** yourself better than that.” You get a soft chuckle, it is faint, but it's there. “Good, you’re with me. You're gonna have to help me with this next one, okay? Knock knock?” He tilted his head a little before answering.

“...who’s... there?”

“Mustache.”

“...m-mustache who?” His smile widens, so you assume he heard it before, you carry on.

“I **mustache** you a question, but I’ll **shave** it for later.” 

“...th-...that’s terrible...kid.” He’s a bit dazed, but he’s relaxing by any means.

“How about another one?” He nods yes, welcoming the distraction. “Okay, Knock knock.”

“..who’s t-there?”

“Boo.”

”..boo who?” His response time is getting better, and from the small smirk he’s giving you, you know that he knows the punchline already. You deliver it anyway.

“Aww, please don’t cry!” A stifled giggle escapes him, and you felt relieved. He doesn’t seem to be boarding a panic attack anymore, though he’s still very tense. “You’re feeling alright now?” Needing to know if he required more reassurance. 

“...yeah? I’m good...thanks…heh, just have a **killer** headache now.” Your concern for his well being causes you to not quite register the deadly joke. 

_‘He’s still not in the best shape, and he needs to be with someone familiar, someone better equipped at handling him than I can.’_

“So, got anyone you can call, and maybe pick you up?” It felt like the right thing to do, primarily because of his little episode and all. “If you haven’t, I don’t mind taking you home.” He took a moment to think this over while you fluffed the ends of Silas's hair, you were glad he was being so good. 

“...papyrus…” He mumbled as he pulled out a cell phone from his pocket. It looked like a relatively new model—not a brand you’ve quite seen before. His eye light starts to do that thing where it starts hazing in and out, thoughts of the grocery trip from a month ago comes to mind. You watch him unlock his phone many times only for the internal timer to clock out, forcing him to start all over again. It was frustrating to watch, but you sympathize with how difficult it must be for him. You let the negative emotion roll off of you as you held your hand out, a helpful smile on your lips.

“I can call them for you if you want that is?” You offer him every opportunity to object to your help. If he wants it, it'll be available, but if he doesn't, then you would have to be patient and let him go at his own pace. He stared at your outstretched hand for the longest time, thankfully, your patience was rewarded when he plopped the unlocked device into your hand. “Thank you, which number is his?”

“...first one…. best bro.” You nodded. Looking through his contacts, you did, in fact, find he was the first contact; additionally, you discovered that he was also the only contact. You didn't have time to digest how you felt about that, pressing the call as you listened to the ever familiar ringing. You don’t wait long as the other person picks up precisely on the second ring. 

“Hello, Sans! Why Is It That You Are Calling Me At Such An Hour, Did Your Trip At The Bakery Not Go Well? You Better Not Be Being A Lazybones. Have You Fallen Asleep In A Bush, And Are Wanting Me To Carry You Home Again? Brother, I Have Told You Time And Time Again That I Will Not Be Doing That Any Longer, For There, Are More Greater And Amazing Things I Could Be Doing But If I Must—...” 

‘ _Okay, wow, he’s loud. RIP eardrums, RIP.’_

“Excuse me, I am sorry to interrupt you, but is this Papyrus speaking?” You cut off the presumingly other monsters rant. As entertaining it was to learn of Sans strange yet hilarious behavior, however, you just needed to get to business. The other person on the line had quieted quick enough though, too quickly, in fact. The line became so unnaturally silent that it started to make you queasy with the sudden muteness of it. “Umm...h-hello?”

“Why do you have my brother’s phone?” You blink in surprise at the tone he was taking with you. It wasn’t cold, nor was it clipped. No, there wasn’t anything odd about his voice in particular. Maybe that was what was so off-putting about it. It was measured and even, and though on the surface it did not sound unwelcoming, it for certain did not carry the same mirth it once had. You, for some reason, felt as though you needed to choose your next words very carefully, or else you were not going to like the outcome. You take a steady breath in, settle your nerves, then you speak.

“Ah, yes… well, Sans, let me use it so I could call you. He was having a bit of a hard time doing it himself. I do believe he had a minor panic attack. Don’t worry, I was able to bring him down quite a bit, but I think it would be best if he were to relax in the comfort of his own home. I was wondering if you would be able to pick him up? If not, I don’t mind driving him...” It was still quiet for a few beats, and to the point, you feared this papyrus guy wasn’t even there anymore, but you didn’t hear him hang up, so you remained on the line. Like a weight being lifted, the other speaker came back, speaking as if there were never a quiet moment between you two.

“Well... Thank You, Mysterious Stranger, For Assisting My brother. I, The Great Papyrus, Am More Than Willing To Come And Collect My Lazybones Of A Brother With Haste. I Shall Be There As Soon As Yesterday, Fear Not, I Shall Be There In A Flash! Please Watch Over Him Until I’ve Made My Arrival, Farewell!” And before you can utter a word, the familiar droning of the dial tone greeted you. 

_‘Wow, that was… something. Does he even know where we are? Like sure, we're still at the coffee shop, but how does he know that—...?’_ You were interrupted by the sound of Sans's phone ringing, without thinking you answered it. “Hello?’ 

“Ah Yes, Mysterious Stranger, I Apologize, But Is Your Current Location A Cup Of **Joe’s** Cafe, Yes?” An amused smirk pulled at the corners of your lips.

“Yes, we are there. Would you like me to send the address as well?”

“There Is No Need, For I Know Exactly Where To Go. Farewell Mysterious Stranger, I Shall Be There Shortly!” He hung up, cutting the conversation short once again. That person, whoever they were, was really something else. You had to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. You glance over to Sans, whose head is tilted to the side most likely curious about whatever the fuck just happened in front of him.

“You’re brother…” His eye light met yours wavering every now and then, but you can tell he’s invested in your answer “...is pretty cool.” You finish honestly. You can see him physically relaxed, a genuine smile on his face when he says. 

”...yeah, the coolest…” You both share a smile.

“So while we wait for him to arrive, I have but one question.” He raised a brow, looking slightly suspicious.

“...shoot.” Your eyes gleam as a devious smile etched into your lips.

“Knock, knock?” When you saw the mischief in his eye, you knew you had him. 

“...who’s there?” His response was almost instant, with his own permanent smile stretching five times wider, his head resting comfortably in his hand, eye lights going half-lidded. You gulp, inwardly, you wished you could stall his departure for however longer you possibly could. Deep down, you just felt that his going would be bitter, yet his stay oh so sweet.

* * *

The dream home:

[Perseverance is better than defeat—audio two](https://youtu.be/CQFZUx5Wd-o)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: Mild panic attack, descriptions of blood, tickle fights, mentions of spiders and other insects, mild cursing, very subtle mentions of cannibalism, and an excessive use of terrible puns/jokes.
> 
> Wanna chat, join my discord [Here](https://discord.gg/QdG4DQQ)
> 
> I’m not exactly proud of this chapter and I honestly wanted to get the WHOLE chapter out before posting this, but editing it was taking too long so yet. This part was only supposed to be 5,000 word but it ended up becoming 13,000 or something. Just know I’m always writing, just like... hella slow since English isn’t really my strong suit. (Despite being the only language I know, RIP) love ya guys and be safe!
> 
> P.s— It was super fucking hard to look up good educational programs specifically for toddlers. It had to do so much research, so if anyone has any suggestions or sources I can review please send them my way. Always open for creative criticism.
> 
> P.s.s— I would like to thank ReadWithDetermination for Breathing some life into this story into life and giving it just the feel I’m looking for. It would mean the world to me if you all went and send her some support. She all levels of wholesome, considerate and kind. I would highly recommend her work 10000/10 great job.
> 
> Credits: 
> 
> READWITHDETERMINATION Links:
> 
> AO3: <https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReadWithDetermination>  
> TUMBLR: <https://readwithdetermination.tumblr.com/>  
> YOUTUBE: <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaQd1Pjqd6plN9Z8EjmvVvg/featured>  
> 


	3. “Go as far as you can see; when you get there you’ll be able to see farther.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You eat some good food(not really), share some bad laughs, and made some good friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanna be informed of things first? Join my discord and you’ll alway be first. [Here](https://discord.gg/QdG4DQQ)
> 
> [Follow me here!](https://thethymewarpingmenace.tumblr.com/)

[Perseverance Is Better Than Defeat—Chapter Three Podfic ](https://youtu.be/ZyuL1Fx6NiM)

You and Sans exchanged more puns and knock-knock jokes after the call with Papyrus, and honestly, Sans looked a lot better, the jokes must have been his kryptonite or something. You turn to check in on the two, to see Silas still enraptured by Sans's disappearing ball trick with the cups the barista had given you a while ago. She was kind enough to offer them after all the craziness had melded down, and gave you both a steaming cup of chamomile tea, on the house. 

It was endearing to watch Silas' eyes gleam as he watched the small red ball he saw under one cup to magically teleport to the other, or how it could suddenly be pulled from behind his ears. Sans's eye light was at a soft glow as he gently regarded your toddler's enthusiastic claps and gleeful giggles. It was genuinely heartwarming. That wasn't even what you liked best about him. It was the fact that he also knew sign language, and it made you tear up with joy to see Silas communicate with someone other than you.

" _Go where? Where ball go? " _ Silas urged, checking his ears to be sure no magic balls were hiding there. 

_"... dunno kid... heh, why don't ya ask yer mommy? "_ Sans' sign was just like him. Slow but powerful. It was much smoother, taking fewer spaces in between than his spoken speech did. You raised a conspiring brow at the traitorous skeleton who dared to shoot you a smug grin. You narrow your eyes at him, wondering what in the world his next trick held. You didn't have to wait long, you guess. A light tapping brought you back from your reverie, to look down to an awaiting Silas, whose eyes were bright like stars and a grin full of dreams.

" _Mama_ ?" Oh. My. God. He was being so adorable, little hands clutched your sleeve, face full of anticipation. You gulp, glance to Sans for assistance despite him putting you into this situation in the first place. He just chuckles, obviously taking joy in your distress before pointing to your hood. You furrow your brows in confusion. How could the ball be there?

He hadn't reached out to you once, and he has been across the table since this game started, but you weren't left with any other options other than to check. You reach behind your neck to dig into your hoodie, a tinge of worry rippled through you when you couldn't find it. 

"I swear to god, Sans, if you make me disappoint my baby, I will quite literally have your skull on a motherfucking stick—oh, there it is." You pull out the small ball in awe as you show it to the giddy toddler who was quick to snatch the ball out of your hand. You blink in surprise, actually impressed.

"How'd you do that?" You asked, ruffling Silas hair as he rolled the ball back over to Sans, who simply smirked at your question.

"...magician neva… reveals... der secrets…" He quipped as he shuffled the cups around for Silas once more. In spite of the whole nosebleed fiasco, Sans was actually pretty good at handling Silas, you would even go as far as to say that he took pleasure in it.

"You're pretty good with kids, aren't you?" He snorted dubiously at that.

"..heh, too bad… it's a one-way street…" He presents the three cups to Silas pausing to let him choose a container. Cute, he let him win this time.

"Why do you say that?" He gave you an odd look. He passed Silas the ball, signing to him that he was the champion and earned it as a prize. Silas accepted it readily, squishing the soft foam in his grasp, with Silas distracted, he turned back to you.

"...when ya got a mug... dat looks like ya… literally… rolled outta the wrong side of da bed, ain't many kiddos… running up fer a magic show." And wow, you felt like a massive asshole. Good job, dip-shit, good fucking job.

"O-oh, I am so sorry. That was so insensitive of me…" Guilt fills your stomach, you try to do away the feeling by intertwining your hands, rubbing one thumb over the other to ease your nerves. The husky rumble of his chuckle pulls you from your pit of self wallowing, and once you've emerged, you're met with the amused glow of his maroon eye light while he taps a steady beat onto the table. 

"...kid, ya ain't gotta… worry bout… gettin' under meh  **skin**." You're not proud of the snort of laughter you had right then. You are disrupted briefly by Silas, who is now handing you his ball silently as you put it away for him. You give him your phone before he could even ask for it, knowing that was coming next. He let out a happy squeal, and you left him to it as he swiftly taps at the screen.

"You're far too much, Sans the Skeleton…" You said, resting your chin into your hand, letting a comfortable silence come over the both of you. You close your eyes, taking a deep breath of the cafe. The sound of coffee being grounded vibrates off the walls as the smell of sweet decadence wafts around you in the background, the tranquil atmosphere gently blanketing your senses. It was charming. How long has it been since you were able to drop this weight off your shoulders?

To just sit and partake in some pleasant company for a few moments, to stop and smell the flowers sorta speak. It was a welcome change. Only a break from all the stress, the responsibility of running a business while caring for a deaf child was slowly washing off of you in small waves. It felt good to have a little free time despite Katy's flaky ass never showing up. At least it wasn't a lost cause, you did get to reconnect with Sans, so it felt it was worth coming after all. Your thoughts are broken from your internal debate by Sans, who lightly knock on the table with a smug grin. You meet his gaze with a raised brow and a knowing smile. 

"Who's there?" You croon, leaning in, entertained by his antics.

"...dead." You narrow your eyes as his grin grows to be even more full.

"Dead, who?" You ask while waiting for the punchline, but are surprised when it doesn't hit. You motion a hand to prompt him forwards, thinking that he may have forgotten the end of the joke. He very obviously has a hard time remembering as well as just settled down from a panic attack, but you didn't see that weird thing that happens with his eye light when he's spacing out, so you rule that out. He continues to stare amusingly at you, that shit-eating grin growing at your confusion. You motion once more, and he just chuckles at your action as he rests his head on the table, gazing up mockingly at you. This causes you to squint your eyes in suspicion.

"... Aren't you going to say anything?" You relent, unable to suffer under the suspense any longer.

"... **dead** silent ain't it, eh?" You cover your mouth in laughter, you can't believe you walked right into that one. 

"That was awful." You critique, drawing in your laughter as you feign a look of disappointment. Acting as though you regret the events that have led you to this very moment.

"...yer smilin'..." He hatefully pointed out.

"I know, and I hate it." This causes him to roll with laughter, and you can't help but smile fondly at the cackling monster. You wanted to see more of it, to hear more of it, to be the cause of it, to be…

_'What?’_

You blink, shaking your head to get in the right fucking mind. _'Where the heck was that train of thought running to exactly? Yeah, sure, I think the guy is pretty cool, but I've met him a total of two times. Pull yourself together.'_ You scold, internally pushing away any more stray thoughts from your mind, though after doing so leaves a dull aching in your chest. You furrow your brows, rubbing the center of your chest to try and soothe the soreness there. This doesn't go unnoticed by Sans. His eye light moved from the spot in your chest to the back of your eyes with concern.

"...everything alright, kid?" He asked, eye light searching your own like the issue was to somehow reveal itself there. 

"Yeah, just some heartburn or something. Anyway, it's my turn right, knock-knock?" You smile, waving it off with a soft chuckle, watching how his hand drew towards his upper abdomen as well. _'Hehe, strange._ ' You wonder if he had heartburn as well and you giggled cause _'skeletons don't have hearts'_

He just gave you that same odd look from before, bone brow furrowed, phalange scratching his chin, and mouth ready to fire more questions. Questions that aren't asking the most desired and sought after answer, the answer to knowing who's there. You tilt your head, having taken in the unspoken change in the atmosphere, ready to hear out any possible concerns he may have. 

"What's wrong, Sans?" 

"... it's just-..." The sound of the cafes bell chimes for the second time today, though far more aggressively than it ever has since you've been here, effectively cutting Sans off. Wow, it's like this world's logic has nothing better to do other than to cut people off. As if our lovely author is an utterly inadequate writer, and is only capable of implementing poorly structured plot devices, huh? Funny.

Anywho, the sound of the door being burst into like that had you worried that someone was actually fucking robbing the place, with a protective arm wrapped around Silas, you swung your head over to the direction the sound had come from. You were surprised to see it was another skeleton, but you relaxed all the same once you realized it wasn't going to be a stick-up. He didn't quite seem to see you proceeding to announce himself, quite loudly you might add to the entire cafe.

“Greetings, Tiny Coffee Making Human!" He hollered, eye looking both ways in the dining area, but not quite catching you or Sans. Granted, he'd never met you before, and Sans was positioned into the bench where he was just hidden from view.

"Papyrus, the boss has told you already not to come in like that." The girl chided with a faint smile on her lips that told you the reprimanding was more out of protocol than a hoping for a real change in behavior. The skeleton you gave her was what you assumed to be an apologetic expression, but who knows? You weren't exactly an expert at reading skeletal facial structures yet. You took this moment to take in this strangely loud and tall skeleton. Now that you mentioned it, the monster was abnormally tall, like at least seven feet tall, kinda tall. You're sure he had to duck to fit into the doorway, thank goodness the coffee shop had high ceilings so that once he was in, he was inside comfortably.

Despite the more spacious room, he was still somewhat hunched over, not obviously so but enough to know that he wasn't standing to his full height. He was Restrained. It was as though he was trying to contain his already boisterous personality even further than he already has. You also take note of his adorable orange-colored braces and goofy round glasses that were too much for your nurturing soul. 

He wore what looked to be the softest knitted sweater that was a dashing pastel apricot color with a faded red scarf that was tattered at the edges. He wore blue jean pants that were stuffed snuggly into large red leather high heel boots. He really had no business wearing high-heels, seeing as has he was tall as he can be, and he really didn't need those boots to be even taller than that. 

_'But to each their own, I guess.'_

"Oh, Pardon Me Tiny Coffee Making Human, It Seems That My Passions Have Bested Me Yet Again! Anywho, Have you Perhaps Seen My Brother, I Was Informed That He Would Be Here? I Must Collect His Frail Carcass And Deliver Him Home Once More!" The barista giggled at the energetic monster as she was about to answer. You took this moment to stand and wave towards the two of them.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I got him over here!" You answered for her. The tall skeleton head snapped to you, a broad smile on his face before turning back to the barista.

"Well, Excuse Me, Tiny Coffee Making Human!" He excused himself as he made his approach towards you. His strides were long and sure, giving you the impression of humble confidence contrary to the subtle nervous energy that would peek through every now and then. It took him a total of four steps to reach you, and you had to crane your neck just to meet his eye sockets. He inspected you for a moment, his eyes widening as he wrung his hands in front of him before greeting you. 

"Well Good Day Human, It Is A Pleasure To Make Your Acquaintance. I, The Great Papyrus, Am Grateful That You Had Watched Over My Lethargic Sibling In My Absence." Goodness, he was loud, not overly so but enough to put a strain on your ears now that he was closer to you. You do your best to not let it bother you, there are far worse things, and someone who spoke with a bit more passion than most was the least of them.

"It was no problem, I the great," you gave him your name before continuing, "I am glad to make your acquaintance as well. We actually met quite some time ago, and Sans had really helped me out then, so it's only fair to return the favor." Papyrus blinked at that, turning to look down at his brother, who just gave him a wave and a smug smirk before laying his head back onto the table. Papyrus seems to puff up his chest in pride at hearing how Sans has aided you at some point in time. 

"It was no trouble at all, sans was able to keep me from being too **bonely**!" When you say you saw this skeletons face fall, you meant that it crashed landed straight from Jupiter. Forever leaving an impression as deep as a twenty-story skyscraper into the linoleum tile with how much disappointment was conveyed in his expression alone. You were going to ask what was wrong until a husky voice cut in.

"...awe paps, what's **eating** at ya, ya can't be **fed** up already." Papyrus narrowed his eye sockets at Sans, crossing his arms, he looked very unamused.

"You Are Not Funny, Brother. I See You Have Infected The Poor Human With Your Terrible Puns!" He exclaimed as he sent you a look so sympathetic that you thought he had to be pulling your leg. 

"I Am So Sorry Human, Please Forgive My Brother. I Have Tried Many Times To Train This Horrible Behavior Out Of Him, But He Is Awfully Stubborn, And OH MY GOODNESS, Is That A Baby Human!?" Ah, so his sights have finally landed on Silas. You grinned at the monster's enthusiastic reaction to your child, nodding as you pet the top of his head affectionately. 

He didn't mind you much, continuing to slice through fruit with no rhyme or rhythm. What was that game called again? Fruit ninja, you think. You got it in the beginning because of all the hype a year ago and quickly grew attached to it, so you kept it on your phone for memories' sake. It just so happens that Silas loves the game too, heh, guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

"Sure is!" You chuckle, tapping on the table to garner his attention. It took a minute as he usually wouldn't respond when he was in a match, but he died pretty fast in this game, not having the best hand-eye coordination at this age. Your mother's intuition was spot on, like always, for as soon as he died, he glared in frustration up at you. You cough, swallowing back a laugh. 

" _No win. I don't like games. " _ A quick huff escaped your nostrils before you could stop it, but you didn't laugh. Stay strong, you scolded yourself as you will yourself to act like the adult you are. 

" _Awe, but You love that game, baby." _You remind only to get back an indignant pout and a crossing of tiny arms but uncrossed so he could rant to you further.

" _No more, bad game. Never play again." _ You had to turn away to giggle into your shoulder. He says that every time, yet he'll play it again in the next ten minutes, you're sure. When you turn back, his cheeks are the cutest shade of pink as he levels you with a glare. " _No laugh!"_ You hold your hands in surrender, reigning in your amusement as best you can. As funny as his reactions are, you also don't wanna trigger him into a meltdown, not now, at least. (Well, not ever, but you know what I mean.)

" _I'm sorry, Mama wasn't laughing."_ You said as you pulled on a severe face, which he believed automatically. _'Ah to be young and naive.'_ You thought, finding it cute at how easy it was to appease him. " _It's okay baby, I'm sure you'll win next time. Why don't you say hi to some new friends okay? Can you say hi, for me?"_ You request as you move a bit away so Silas could get a good look at Papyrus. To be honest, you were kinda nervous. 

You didn't know how Silas would react to Papyrus, sure he likes sans well enough but Papyrus… he was a whole nother story. Sure he didn't look half as scary as Sans, but his height was intimidating enough, not to mention that his head being the most anatomically correct to a real human skull. Other than his eye lights, that is. A quick glance at Papyrus, you can tell he was surprised that you were willing to be so open with your child, but without saying you knew why that is. A lot of humans weren't exactly… welcoming to monsters. Sure, there was a lot of support when they first emerged, but actually interacting with them were apparently two different things to people. 

Silas's eyes trailed up the full length of the monster, head tilted all the way back so his gaze could meet the skeleton’s face. There was a short moment when no one did anything, just watching and waiting. Then Silas made a move. He scooted quietly out of his seat, patting silently over to Papyrus, and much to your surprise, held out his arms as a signal to be picked up. 

You blinked a couple times to be sure that it was still Silas that was standing there asking to be held by a stranger. Silas was not the most outgoing child, sure he was open with you, but again you were his mother. Silas, in fact, was notorious for crying in the arms of anyone he didn't deem worthy of holding him. And that goes for many of your friends and family members. So the fact he was standing there, looking up quite expectantly for the random skeleton to hold him spoke volumes to you.

Papyrus, however, was growing increasingly anxious as he stared down at the tiny child opening his arms out to him. He glanced helplessly at you, looking unsure from the child then back to you as though to gauge you for a proper response. You smile with a shrug, wordlessly telling him it's alright to hold your child. You didn't think a skeleton's eyes could sparkle until now, but boy did it make you happy to know they could. Papyrus picked up Silas gingerly, as though he were made of glass ready to break at a moment's notice before moving him to one side. This made you smile, resting a hand on your hip while Silas played with the end of his scarf.

"Wow, never seen him warm up to somebody so fast; guess you're not called the great for nothing, huh."

"Nyeh heh heh, O-of Course! The Great Papyrus Can Conquer Even The Most Stubborn Of Hearts…" He said, stretching his grin as far as his braces would allow, obviously preening at the compliment. He, despite his bold phrasing, it was clear he was taken aback by the positive attention he was receiving. 

"Well, Hello Baby Human, It Is Wondrous To Have Made Your Acquaintance As Well!" He said, holding his hand out to shake. Silas hadn't really looked up, too busy playing with his scarf to acknowledge the skeleton's hand until it had come into view. He takes it experimentally, grabbing hold of his fingers and moving them in odd directions. 

"Uh, I Am Sorry Baby Human, But That Is Not How One Does A Handshake… Fear Not, For I Shall Show You How!" You chuckled as you watch him try to teach Silas how to properly shake hands. It was adorable. "No, No Baby Human, Not Like That. Like This, Like This!" Silas carries on to do his own thing, unintentionally ignoring him. "What Is Wrong, Can You Not Hear Me?" Ah, okay this is where you need to intervene.

"Actually, he cannot." You said with a chuckle despite nothing being particularly funny. Papyrus looks confused by this, blinking twice, then tilting his head to the side.

"Oh, He Cannot?"

"Nope, he was born deaf." You say with a shrug. Well, that was technically true, but you weren't exactly comfortable telling complete strangers all of Silas's medical history, at least not on the first day, for now, that explanation shall be enough. "Haha, had to learn sign language pretty fast once I discovered that." You catch Silas eye, and he waves at you before signing 'tall, high up' then getting distracted by the sights of the cafe. You chuckled, _'He acts like he's never been here before, but then again, it could be the change of perspective. Lucky~...'_

"I wanted to be able to connect with him, no matter what." You look from him back to Papyrus, sending him an inquisitive stare. "Though I'm kinda surprised..."

"Oh, By What, Mysterious Human?"

"Well… why didn't you ...uuhhh," you start signing nervously along with your words. "Think that he could… that he couldn't? I mean-..."

"Human, Are You Perhaps Curious As To Why As I Had Not Automatically Assumed That The Baby Human Was Incapable Of Hearing My Awe Inspiring Voice?"

"Uhhh, well. Yeah, actually…" You admit. Rubbing the back of your neck. "Most people just see ASL and are like 'oh no, he's deaf,' it was honestly refreshing." Where others would pass him by, deeming him not worth the effort to even try. All because they believe it would be too hard, not even attempting to understand him. As if he were broken like he was the one in need of fixing. So watching someone interact with him so normally… like he was a regular child. It was different, a good difference.

"Nyeh heh heh, Quite The Impeccable Observation Skills, Mysterious Human!" He strikes a pose. "Well, I Shall Inform You As To Why You See-..." Papyrus tries to explain but is shockingly interrupted by the gentle softness of a familiar voice.

"...not a lotta monsters are… verbal… many use body language… scent...or other means to communicate." Sans mentions, face embedded into the sleeves of his jacket looking quite comfy on the coffee bench.

"SANS, I Had Wanted To Explain It To The Human!" Papyrus glared at him with a mock scandalized expression across his face, though Sans could see the light surprise shone brightly at his sudden contribution. His grin remains smug, making no move to answer the question in his gaze. 

"But For That Reason, We Cannot Draw Any Conclusions As To How Or Why Others Communicate Differently. We Must Be Open To Learn, Willing To Accept And Ready To Adapt. It's Simply The Monster Way! We May Have Been Led Astray At One Point In Our Lives, But I Am Glad To See Monsters Making A Comeback. I'm Proud To Say We Are Finally On The Right Track Toward Reclaiming Our Former Glory And Principles!" He spoke with so much conviction that you just had to believe him. The way his chest puffed out with eyes ablaze as he talked as though telling tales of triumph filled you with what you can only describe as **inspiration**.

"Whoa… that's pretty amazing. Wish humans were more like monsters then…" You pat Silas. " _How are you doing up there, Silas, you want down yet_?" Silas looks down at you passively before shaking his head no, going as far as laying his head into the skeleton's scarf. You chuckled warmly at him with a slight roll of your eyes, turning your attention back to the skeleton. He must not have expected that response, for he had jumped a bit before squinting to look down at you and Silas. He blinked several times before his eye sockets widened, a look of recognition crossed his face for a moment, and you tilt your head once you've seen it. "Hmm?"

"Wait, Human, Do You Happen To Go By The Alias Of Sweet-As-A-Peach On a Popular Human Blog Called, _Never Judge A_ **_Cook_ ** _By Its Cover_ , Co-Hosted By This Little One, The One And Only Sil-bug?" If this were anime, you're sure that the background would have exploded with all sorts of flowers and colors, the huge skeleton monster quickly becoming unable to hold back his excitement, and you can't help but giggle into your sleeve.

"You flatter me too much, plus I'd hardly call it popular, but you'd be correct in assuming that it's us." You say coolly and not try to fangirl about meeting one of your fans. It didn't happen often, but when it did, it made you feel as though everything you work for was finally paying off.

"Wowie, This Is Fantastic! I Love The Way You Handle Food With Such Care By Sparing As Little Waste, Dare I Say, As Humanly Possible! It Is Truly An Art To Behold. You Amaze Me Miss Sweet-As-A Peach, Which Is Quite The Feat To Be Able To Gain The Favor Of The Great Papyrus, Nyeh heh heh!" Your cheeks feel warm at the genuine compliment. And giggle at how he's referring to you by your alias rather than your real name. It's cute.

"Well, I'm honored that my culinary expertise was up to your standards." A pale orange flush speckled against his cheekbones as he bounced Silas shyly in his arms. "You must be an outstanding chef yourself, Hmm?"

"W-well Of Course! For What Do You Humans Say? G-great Minds Think Alike!" He gushed, the flush on his cheekbones began to spread to where his ears would be, if you know, he had them. You covered your mouth to suppress any cooing from slipping from your lips. He was literally so adorable. 

"Thank you for your support, it really means the world to me." 

"It's Of No Consequence, Oh My Goodness, I'm Your Biggest Fan! I Have Every One Of Your Cookbooks, _Even If They Are Completely Littered With Puns_ , And Your Sil-Bug Merchandise Is Of My Favorite Line. Oh, Second Only To The Sweet Peachy Of Course!" Ahh, He was talking about your line mugs, shirt, caps, and keychains. You had an online artist create images of you and Silas, Silas being an adorable green caterpillar, while you a blushing pink peach. 

You were able to gain the rights to both images for a reasonable price. You then take those images and print them onto a shirt and caps yourself. The mugs and keychains, on the other hand, are made exclusively by a company you work through. It's not as hard as you thought it would be, and plus you like making the packages each order unique, each with a pre-written thank you note, a penny—for your thoughts, return letter—for fan letters and a recipe of the month. You print a different recipe each month and insert it into each order for that month. It's different every time, and sometimes you do a limited edition recipe that is only available through that month's purchase. Seeing his excitement fills your chest with **pride**. 

"Well, if you like that, you're gonna lose your mind at this!" You pull out two small plushies of your characters, showing them to an awestruck papyrus. "I've been experimenting with stuffed animals, these are some of the prototypes." His eyes were sparkling, fingers twitching every so often. "...wanna check it out?"

"YES, PLEASE!" Loud. You chuckle holding out your hand for him to hand you, Silas, he does so quickly as you and he made the trade. "...these are outstanding…" He cradled them gently in his hand like they were made of pure gold. You actually wanted to show them off to Katy, so you stuffed them into your purse before you left the apartment. Even though she did bail on you in the end, you're glad you brought them, if not for Papyrus's reaction alone. "I Do Hope You Make Them Available Soon… I'm Sure They'll Be Flying Off The Shelves!" His face fell a bit when he went to hand them back, and that made your insides twist. 

"...keep it." He tilted his head, confused.

"What?" You smile.

"You can keep them as I said, they're prototypes, I was going to give them to a friend anyway. Plus, what better place could they be than none other than in the hands of my number one fan?" Orange tears started to swell in his eyes? (You’ve given up at trying to understand monster anatomy) "Oh no, don't cry!" And there go the floodgates.

"I Am Not Crying, A-a Bug Flew Into My Eye Lights! A Bug? Yes, That Is Exactly What Happened, Absolutely No Other Reason!" He wailed as he pulled a large hanky out of nowhere and blew his nose(hole) into it. You 'cough' into your sleeve. Definitely not a laugh. You're not laughing, who's laughing? Definitely not you, uh yup. "But I Cannot Accept This!" He wept as he tried to give the teddies back to you, pressing them into your hands.

"Why not?" Your turn to be confused. You pushed them back.

"I Am Grateful, But How Could I Ever Repay You?" Push.

"It's a gift, Papyrus don't worry about it." You think you saw him narrowed his eyes sockets at you, giving you an almost distrustful glare, but it was gone faster than you could interpret. Huh, must be a trick of the light. "I insist." You pushed back, wondering when this became an odd game of tug of war.

"No, It Is Alright. I Can Wait For The Official Release…" Push. 

"Nah, it's alright. What's a gift between friends, right?" You say with finality, pulling away from him as you wrapped your arms entirely around Silas. He looked ready to give another denial, but had stopped himself.

"Friends…?" He asked as you raised an unsure brow. "You… wish to be friends?" You didn't even have to think about it, giving a shrug and a gleeful smile.

"Sure, why not? You're pretty great, after all." 

"WOWIE, THIS IS FANTASTIC! We Shall Be The Best Of Friends, Yes? Thank You, Miss Sweet Peachy, I Accept Your Gift. Nyeh heh heh!" He snuggles the plushies close to his face, tears pooling from his eye sockets. 

"You're welcome!" You glance toward Sans to see him starting to nod off at the table, and you immediately feel guilty. "Ah, sorry, Sans, maybe I should let you guys go. Didn't mean to hold you up…" Papyrus sighs dotingly down at his brother as he throws him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Sans doesn't seem to mind, continuing to doze. This must be a regular occurrence then.

"...heh… don't worry bout it…. kid. I was doing better anyway, just takin' an evenin'...nap." 

"All You Do Is Nap!" Papyrus said with a roll of his eyes. "And It Is No Trouble At All as It Seems We Have Also Gone Off Course. Well, We Must Be Off!" He said that, but wasn't really going anywhere. Did he need something?

"... heh, pap.."

"Yes, Sans?"

"... we're kinda at a...heh **standstill**."

"SANS NO."

"... what... can't **stand** my puns any more?"

"I'm No Longer Listening To You Sans."

"...why, they're out **standing**."

"Enough Of Your Puns!" He turned to you. "Human!" He suddenly called out to you, and it caught your attention.

"Uh, yes?"

"Since We Are Quite Possibly Friends Now, It Is Human Custom To Exchange Numbers, Yes?"

"Oh, yeah." You tilted your head a bit, a coy smile playing on your lips. "Well, I'll be... How forgetful of me, would you mind?" You hold out your hand for him to give you his phone. He does so with a small blush, his one free hand searching his pockets rapidly. "And what about you, Sans?"

"...ya want mine?" His red eye light glowed a brighter shade of red, eye sockets wrinkling at the sides. 

"Who else is gonna be my pun, buddy?" You roll your eyes goodnaturedly as you hold out your hand as you made a grabbing motion for his phone.

"Please Do Not Encourage Him," Papyrus grumbled, and you can't hold back the snickered, not that you really tried to. You knew he had to love puns, he is your biggest fan after all.

"...heh...sure, kid." He reached behind to grab his own phone while Papyrus still searched for his own, and it was only fate that they both had pulled them out at the same time. You set Silas onto the table so you could grab for them, once you do, the strangest thing happens.

You felt a soft tingling and the closest you could think of to describe it was when the static from the dryer climbs up your arm when you pull out the laundry, or when you go down a slide one too many times, hence becoming electrified. The sensation was nostalgic… comforting, like you've always known this feeling. It felt like home. It seems like you weren't the only one who thought it. Sans and Papyrus eyes snapped to each other, communicating without exchanging any words, speaking an unspoken language that only the two could understand before turning to evaluate you. You don't quite catch the interaction too focused on setting your number into their phones.

"Oops, didn't mean to shock you, lemme just put those numbers in there for you." You hand back their devices. "So, do you guys need a ride home or something? I don't mind dropping you off where you need to be, but be warned my car is kind of a mess." You add, mind drifting to all the loose fast-food wrappers and empty coffee cups scattered around your vehicle.

"U-uh… No N-need, Miss Sweet Peachy… we uhhh… MUST BE OFF, FAREWELL!" And like that, he was dashing off. A somewhat still stunned and staring Sans on top of his shoulder. You send them off with an awkward wave and then they are gone.

"...they are a little weird, aren't they Silas?" You pretend to ask Silas knowing full well he wasn't going to respond to you. You clean your station, picking up Silas to set him on the ground so you could hold his hand, and you smile. "But I guess I like a little weird every now and then, normal is overrated anyway. Right, Silas?" He stares at you like a blank wall, slumping his head to the side, finding the end of his jacket to be much more entertaining. "I knew you'd agree." You chuckle, setting a course for home. 

Silas has been oddly well behaved today. Not that this isn't most days, but they don't call it the terrible twos for nothing. You want to rub it off as him simply being pacified by your mobile device and possibly two friendly skeletons, but somehow you felt that there was more than that. Well, it's not like it mattered much, he was on his best behavior, and you were not going to complain about him not throwing a tantrum in the name of being difficult. 

You are just gonna thank whatever god decided to grant you mercy, and pray for him to be this docile for the rest of the day… or forever, really. Dealing with a deaf two year old's meltdowns was not the easiest in the world and not something you wanted to deal with more than you already have to. You love Silas, you really do, but it could be so overwhelming at times. Though you honestly wouldn't have it any other way.

"Let's head on home."

* * *

  
  


The trip home was uneventful. You set Silas onto the ground and gather his favorite toys onto the floor next to you, placing him in the center. You hand him his afternoon snack, and as he chows down, you claim this time for yourself, checking your messages. There are a couple from your friend apologizing for flaking on your brunch. You roll your eyes nonchalantly, replying that it was alright and that she owes you a coffee next time. She quickly agreed, so you went back to checking only to blink in befuddlement at your messenger. You received several new text messages for two unknown numbers, so like any rational human. You open them. 

Unknown: HELLO MISS SWEET PEACHY

Unknown: IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, THAT IS MESSAGING YOU!

Unknown: I HOPE YOU HAVE MADE IT BACK TO YOUR HOME SAFELY 

Unknown: I DO APOLOGIZE FOR MY GRAND EXIT, I was Uhh… NEVERMIND!

Unknown: I JUST WANTED TO WISH YOU SAFE TRAVELS, AND A LOVELY REST OF YOU EVENING, DO BE WELL, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO YOU NEWEST POST, PAPYRUS YOUR BIGGEST FAN!

You chuckle a bit, so even his way of messaging was as loud as he is… it's strangely comforting. You edit his contact name before replying.

You: Awe, thanks for checking up on me Papyrus

You: I made it home alright 

#1 Biggest Fan: THAT IS GREAT NEWS!

You: Just so you know, your caps lock is on

#1 Biggest Fan: I AM AWARE!

#1 Biggest Fan: ANYWAY, IT WOULD LOVE FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE WITH YOU MY WORLD-CLASS SPAGHETTI, ONE OF THESE DAYS AND SOON! 

#1 Biggest Fan: ANYWHO I MUST GET A START ON DINNER, FOR ONE MUST NOT SKIP THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY. GOOD DAY AND _HOPE BE WITH YOU!_

You: You're not wrong

You: Well, I'll leave you to it, hope be with you?

#1 Biggest Fan: THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MISS SWEET PEACHY! _HOPE BE WITH YOU!_

"Huh, what an odd saying." You thought aloud, deciding to leave him on read, getting the impression that he was the type to want to get the last word. That skeleton was gonna be the death of you with how precious he is, you thought as you plopped onto the couch, getting comfortable as you scroll to the next text. 

Unknown: hey kid

Unknown: wanna hear a joke?

You: Sans??

Mr. Comic: yup

You: Heh, hit me

You edit his name as well, going to read the incoming text.

Mr. Comic: there's three people on a train: a man, a mother, and a child

You: Uh-huh, I'm listening 

Mr. Comic: okay, so the man said "Madam, could you please tell your son to stop imitating me, it's very annoying!"

Mr. Comic: the mother apologized as she turned to her son and said

Mr. Comic: "i'm so sorry… harry! stop acting stupid!"

You actually giggle at that, eager to write a response you reply.

You: That's horrible 

You: I love it, more please *drooling emoji*

Mr. Comic: hey, i just mopped these floors

Mr. Comic: no need ta go off da **rails** , and drool all over der place

You: Oh hush

You: And oh no the puns are back

You: It's more than I can **chew chew**

Mr. Comic: heh, don't worry 

Mr. Comic: i'll keep ya on **track**.

You: OMG, I can't compete 

You: Anyway, How are you holding up, buddy?

Mr. Comic: **typing** …

Mr. Comic: **typing**...

Mr. Comic: okay

You thought he would add more to that, but he remained radio silent for a while after that.

You: You really, alright? Kinda disappear on me bud

Mr. Comic: **typing** …

Mr. Comic: yeah, was dozing off a bit

Mr. Comic: sorry

You: Oh, no. Sorry for keeping you up then

You: Beauty does need his sleep 

Mr. Comic: **typing** …

Mr. Comic: **typing** …

Mr. Comic: **typing** …

Mr. Comic: more like the beast catchin' some sheep

Mr. Comic: heh, but thanks, kid...night 

You don't correct him that it's actually in the middle of the afternoon and just send him a quick goodnight text, laying your phone to rest. (Rip, may the gods protect you on your journey to becoming charge fully, sparks be with you.) You sink further into the couch, becoming one with the couch potato as you have dreams of relaxing on a beach in Hawaii someday. Still, the sound of toys being smashed together with an audible destructive force brings you back from such fantasies. Your eyes drift back to Silas, who is re-enacting his very own Godzilla movie, though his roughness leaves much to be desired. You fall to the floor and grab his hands with a gentle firmness that only a mother can have. You give him a stern look before releasing to sign.

" _Be nice, we don't do that with our toys."_ You scold only to get a small whine from him, but you remain firm. " _That, or we put them away and do something else. Do you understand?"_ He grunts, rubbing his face then turns to tug at his hair. You remove his hand and ask him again if he understands.

" _Understand. Sorry, Mama."_ You smile as you pat his hair.

" _I forgive you. You can play_ nicely _now."_ Emphasizing on the nice part before moving away so you could turn on the T.v. You still have one of those DVD players, so thankfully, you can use that to pass the time. It was the best you could do since you couldn't afford cable anymore. You crawl to the T.v's stand cabinet, that being where you kept all the DVDs. While you were opening the cupboard to retrieve hopefully one of your pg movies, something from under the stand catches your eye. "Hmm?" You reach for it, only to grab a… Green marker?

"What in the world…" You were sure you had watched him put this away. You glance over to Silas to see him stacking his cars, with not much luck seeing as they keep rolling off each other. That doesn't stop him from trying, though. You chuckle, looking down at the marker in your hand curiously. Spinning it within your grasp, you wonder how it could have possibly made it out of its basket. Silas was clearly busy with his toys to have taken it out himself. "... must've fallen out earlier…" You chuck the marker haphazardly into the basket, grabbing the disk Home Alone and popping that into the DVD player as you head back to the couch. Your eyes glaze over as you watch the previews, supervising Silas from the corner of your eye.

Little did you know, his marker bag was still sealed _tight_.

[Take a look at Sans and Readers Messages ](https://thetimwwarpingmenace.tumblr.com/post/613856666404995072)

[Perseverance Is Better Than Defeat—Chapter Three Podfic ](https://youtu.be/ZyuL1Fx6NiM)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanna be informed of things first? Join my discord and you’ll alway be first. [Here](https://discord.gg/QdG4DQQ)
> 
> [Follow me here!](https://thethymewarpingmenace.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Credits:   
> AO3: <https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReadWithDetermination>  
> TUMBLR: <https://readwithdetermination.tumblr.com/>  
> YOUTUBE: <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaQd1Pjqd6plN9Z8EjmvVvg/featured>  
> Leave a comment, a kudos, a bookmark. They literally push me forward, love you my little monsters!
> 
> Remember To Always Persevere.


	4. Podfic for chapter three is out!!! Yesssss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not a real update and I’m sorry 😭

Chapter three Podfic is up, and can you guys do me a favor and check it out 😘

I’ll have chapter 4 out hopefully sometime next month. Sorry, I’m like a super slow writer 😭

Thank you once again Readwithdetermination, I always look forward to her readings so please go check out her stuff as well!

[Perseverance Is Better Than Defeat—Chapter Three](https://youtu.be/ZyuL1Fx6NiM)

also follow me on Tumblr in the meantime as I get my shit together. Feel free to ask me anything! 

Goodbye my little monsters, so until next time, remember to always persevere!

[Follow me here!](https://thethymewarpingmenace.tumblr.com/)

**Author's Note:**

> Join my discord in the meantime. [Here](https://discord.gg/QdG4DQQ)
> 
> Leave a comment, a kudos, a bookmark. They literally push me forward, love you my little monsters! 
> 
> Remember to always Persevere.
> 
> Credits: 
> 
> READWITHDETERMINATION Links:
> 
> AO3: <https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReadWithDetermination>  
> TUMBLR: <https://readwithdetermination.tumblr.com/>  
> YOUTUBE: <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaQd1Pjqd6plN9Z8EjmvVvg/featured>  
> 


End file.
